Bryson DeChambeau ‘flattered’ by proposal to change equipment rules

The world No 8 has previously experimented with a 48-inch driver but the governing bodies have now proposed a limit of 46 inches

Bryson DeChambeau is unbothered by a proposal to change equipment rules (Getty)

Bryson DeChambeau insists it is "flattering" that golf’s rules could be changed to prevent him from putting a 48-inch driver in play with the American welcoming the potential changes to equipment rules.

The world No 8 and US Open champion publicly revealed his quest to push the limits of the sport involved an experiment with a 48-inch driver before The Masters in November, which was eventually won by Dustin Johnson.

After opting against using the club at Augusta National, Tuesday's proposal by the game's governing bodies to limit clubs to a maximum of 46 inches could restrict the 27-year-old’s plans this year.

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"There's no issues," DeChambeau said ahead of this week's Saudi International on the European Tour.

"I'm sure there's a lot of excitement about me having a potentially controversial thought on it but I don't.

"It's a little flattering in a sense because I did talk about that 48-inch driver for so long, and it just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.

"We just didn't have the right heads for me at that point in time. We were getting close, but right now it's made the decision really easy on what to do next.

"It potentially could have been something that would have been a bummer but luckily it didn't and it didn't work out for me right off the bat because then I would have been losing distance."

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers insisted individual players were not being targeted by the proposal on club length, but DeChambeau has undoubtedly been at the forefront of the debate over distance.

"I think I might be pushing them a little bit, and I'm not really trying to push," DeChambeau added.

"I'm just trying to play my best golf and get the golf ball in the hole in the least amount of strokes possible in whatever way the rules allow me to do that. I think that I'm willing to try things that people are not OK with trying.

"So with that regard, when you go to the fringe limits of the rules, there will be conversations about it for sure. I'm OK with that. As long as I'm playing under the rules, which I will continue to do so, there's never going to be an issue."

The R&A and USGA are also seeking feedback on the potential use of a local rule that could lead to a restricted ball or clubs being used for for certain tournaments - and could also result in a costly legal battle with equipment manufacturers.

"It's going to cost them a lot of money to change a lot of the product that they have already put into work," DeChambeau added. "Companies are already working on 2022, 2023 designs. So they are going to have to re-engineer that.

"But I don't know what the future holds. I'm not in the position to say other than the fact that I don't think they will be happy about it by any stretch of the imagination. But certainly I'm sure that one company, some company would probably do it if it really came down to that."

PA