What Is Bryson DeChambeau’s Longest Drive?

After arriving on the scene following his US Amateur and NCAA titles in 2015, Bryson DeChambeau quickly became established as of the game’s most interesting characters thanks in part to his methodical efforts to perfect his performances. 

Nicknamed The Scientist, one of the areas DeChambeau sought to improve after turning professional was his muscle mass. So, in late 2019 he embarked on a rigorous training regime to dramatically bulk up and improve his swing speed and driving distances. He also began using specially designed irons with thicker grips, and the results were remarkable.

Following a break in the schedule because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it didn't take long for DeChambeau's efforts to pay off. After finishing tied for 62nd on the PGA Tour's Longest Drives list in 2019, he rose to sixth the following year with a longest drive of 428 yards at The Travelers Championship - 42 yards further than his best effort the previous year. 

In 2021, he finished one place higher, albeit with a top drive 14 yards shorter than the previous year. Then, an injury-hit 2022 left him with a longest drive of “only” 403-yards in the same tournament, the Sentry Tour of Champions, before he signed for LIV Golf. For the record, the longest drive on the PGA Tour in those years belonged to Scott Stallings, who hit a 460-yard monster on the 15th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. 

Despite DeChambeau's improvement in driving distances on the PGA Tour, the longest of his career to date came elsewhere, while he was competing in the The Match exhibition tournament in 2021. After joining forces with Aaron Rodgers, the pair beat Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson. Along the way, DeChambeau hit an incredible 480-yard drive on the par-5 777-yard eighth hole at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Montana.

Incredibly, DeChambeau wasn’t pleased with his effort considering the favourable elevation he had. Afterwards, he told CBSSports.com: “That was disappointing for me. I thought I had it, dude. That was super close to being 550 pretty easily.”

While DeChambeau has yet to better that effort, his big-hitting exploits are still creating headlines, most notably when he finished runner-up to Martin Borgmeier at the 2022 World Long Drive Championship in Nevada. Considering Borgmeier hits drives for a living, that was a considerable achievement on DeChambeau’s part, especially as it came only a few months after he had undergone wrist surgery.

However, despite DeChambeau’s undoubted driving ability, he still has a way to go to beat the Guinness World Record for the longest drive in a competition. That was achieved by Mike Austin way back in 1974 when he hit a scarcely believable 515-yard drive at a US Senior National Open Qualifier. Amazingly, Austin was 64 at the time.

Whether DeChambeau ever gets close to that distance is open to debate, but with his dedication to analysing and perfecting his game, plus his continuing ambition to prove himself as one of the biggest hitters in the world, it would probably be advisable not to put it past him.