Opinion & Analysis

Bryson’s greatest strength could have nothing to do with his swing speed

Published

5 years ago

Mar 17, 2021

To say that Bryson’s increase in size and swing speed has been well documented is like saying that politics is often times debated. No stone has been left unturned, nor range session undocumented.

Bryson’s transformation will one day become the stuff of legend, but right now it appears that his greatest strength is not his swing speed, it’s what the transformation represents to some of his contemporaries, most notably Rory McIlroy.

It started late 2020 when Rory had an interesting quote after playing with Bryson at Colonial

“He hit a couple drives that Harry (Diamond, his caddie) and I just looked at each other, and we’re like, holy $#!?, that was unbelievable. He hit one into the wind on 11. I hit a really good one and probably hit it like 315-320. He must have flew my ball by 40 yards. He hit it like 370-375 into the wind. It was crazy. It was nuts. It’s unbelievable.”

On the outside, many doubted that Bryson’s new style would play well at such a tough course when in fact it played right into his hands.

The success of this “mash it” style led to Rory McIlroy admitting this past week at The Players that his recent poor play can be attributed to his chase for distance caused by the Bryson Effect—and he’s not the only one.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t anything to do with what Bryson did at the U.S. Open.”

Rory McIlroy discusses his quest for more speed and the swing issues he’s been struggling with as a result. pic.twitter.com/mFWJmuaZDT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 13, 2021

A noted sportswriter for ESPN, Kevin Van Valkenburg actually made this point in November 2020 and reminded people about his take after Rory’s comments.

This is no different than the way other athletes have changed their perspective sports and the most parallel comparison is that of Steph Curry and the 3-point shot.

By looking at the “value” of a shot and taking percentages into play, the Golden State Warriors in the 2015-16 season went 73-9 to beat the all-time win recond set by the Chicago Bulls. Their advantage was their long-range shooting. It draws a comparison to how Bryson dismantled the long rough-lined fairways of Winged Foot to win the 2020 U.S. Open.

In 2021, Adam Scott has moved to an overlength driver and after several shaft experiments seems to have found a home with Fujikura Ventus Red and a lower spinning Titleist TSi4 driver.

The Quest for distance has ruined more golfers than it has generally helped with one famous example being Ian Baker-Finch whose pursuit of the longball after the 1991 Open Championship led him to miss erratically and even miss one of the widest fairways in the world at St. Andrews in 1995.

The more players that chase, and the more they get away from their own style of play, the more players might end up like Rory McIlroy at the 2021 Players. That would play right into Bryson’s hands—with ever having to lift a single weight.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

7 days ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.