Harigae, DeChambeau stun golfing world in their own ways

By Rahul Banerji

There’s something about golf and numbers. Most recently, it has been to do with Mina Harigae’s extraordinary victory streak, and Bryson DeChambeau’s prodigious power play.

With four wins on the Cactus Tour, which carried on even as Covid-19 decimated sports calendars around the world, Harigae is in a run of form any golfer would dream of.

In her last five starts, the 30-year-old has won not only four times, but won in devastating fashion, including by 16 strokes once and then by 14. Very few golfers around the world can lay claim to such numbers, regardless of the level of play and competition.

Profitable outings

The American of Japanese descent is an LGPA regular but spent her time profitably in Arizona honing her game at a time the bigger women’s tours are still coming back to life. She has won at Mesa, Fountain Hills and now twice in a row at Scottsdale.

“Grateful to have another great 3 days competing on @THECACTUSTOUR! Coming home with a trophy and a check is something I don’t take for granted these days. On to the next one!” she tweeted after coasting to a 14-shot win Talking Stick Championship where Anika Varma finished tied for 21^st place on Wednesday.

The sequence of Harigae’s scores in her four wins are as follows, 63-64-65 and won by 9 strokes; 68-67-70 and won by 3; 67-65-61 and won by 16; and 63-66-63 an won by 14.

“It’s another #BackToBack victory for Harigae at The Talking Stick Championship! Mina’s final round 63 capped off a record tying week as she coasts to her 4th title of 2020 Earlier this year she broke the tour record by firing a (-24) 192 @LongbowGolfClub.” The Cactus Tour handle tweeted

DeChambeau fires bombs

On the PGA Tour, meanwhile, a beefed up Bryson DeChambeau is launching it long and straight – and shaking up the field.

Through the three months of the Covid-19 lockdown, The Professor took to the gym and came out a very different animal, gaining 20-odd pounds of pure muscle. More importantly, he has managed to harness power to accuracy.

So at the Charles Schwab Challenge last week in Fort Worth, he was hitting bombs that had fellow competitors shaking their heads and Colin Montgomerie suggesting that the Tour now opt for standardised golf balls.

“It was nuts. It’s unbelievable,” Rory McIlroy said on the PGA Tour website.

“I mean, it’s impressive what he’s doing. There’s going to be courses where it works, and there’s going to be courses where it won’t. I can’t see him hitting that many drivers this week, for example (at the RBC Heritage).

“…It’s impressive. He’s big. He’s sort of gone down a path, and he’s …. got a conviction, and he’s following it.

“That’s what he’s done. He’s always thought outside the box and thought a little differently to most people.

“He’s really put his mind at wanting to get longer, and he’s definitely done that.”

New level

Those 20 pounds of muscle came from hours of pumping iron and downing five protein shakes a day, and in Texas, DeChambeau was 340.3 yards off the tee on average, 345.4 yards and 342.1 yards over the first two days.

Tracked by the Tour, these were his longest hits over the four days of competition at the Colonial:

367 yards
365 yards
361 yards
357 yards
355 yards
354 yards
354 yards
353 yards
349 yards
340 yards
340 yards
337 yards
335 yards
335 yards
334 yards
333 yards
330 yards
330 yards
330 yards

The website also noted: “There has never been a season in PGA Tour history where a player averaged 316 or more yards off the tee and hit 60 percent of his fairways.

“DeChambeau is on pace to obliterate that mark, as he’s currently averaging 323.8 yards and hitting 60.2% of his fairways.”

Power, and precision. Much to talk about from The Professor, especially on shorter courses as the season winds on.

Also read: Berger pips Morikawa as PGA Tour action resumes