Bryson DeChambeau gives himself ‘B’ after monster round at Rocket Mortgage Classic

DETROIT – How much better can Bryson DeChambeau get?

The question must be asked, because after mauling Detroit Golf Club with his power and leading the field in putting, too – a combination that works, oh, just about everywhere – and shooting 6-under 66, DeChambeau did not hold back in his self-appraisal.

“I'd really say it's B game right now,” he said. “It's not 100 percent, but it's not bad, either. I'm still able to get it in, I'm able to score, which is great, but I still have to refine some things.”

He knew this self-assessment would make people apoplectic. Eight birdies and an eagle! Tops in putting and driving distance! What more does he want?

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Perhaps it was the bittersweet finish that left a sour taste. His bogey on 18 – one of four on the day – kept him out of a share of the lead with Kevin Kisner, Doc Redman and Scott Stallings.

But c’mon. That’s your B game?

First, the facts: DeChambeau made over 130 feet of putts and ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting. He averaged 358.3 yards off the tee – not a typo – and ranked first in that department, too. At the par-5 14th hole, playing behind Jason Day and Bubba Watson (340 and 341 yards, respectively, off the tee), DeChambeau drove it 376. He had a 9-iron in for his second shot. He made eagle.

And yet the crazy thing is he sort of has a point. Because in between blistering his tee shots and rolling it great on the greens, DeChambeau’s irons weren’t great (-1.053 in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green). He couldn’t seem to dial them back, often fighting a long miss.

At the 145-yard par-3 15th hole, where playing partners Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama carved pretty shots into the right pin, DeChambeau missed long and left, leaving over 65 feet for birdie. He did well just to two-putt. On 18 he airmailed the green altogether, leaving himself an incredibly fast chip from the back rough. He coaxed it to just over seven feet before missing the putt.

“There was obviously a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” he said. “Very frustrated about some of the decisions we made and some of the shots I executed.”

Some good shots didn't get rewarded, he added. He hit a few wayward drives, too, finishing with eight of 14 fairways hit. He planned to clean that up on the range, or break a lot of tees trying.

With the 40 pounds of muscle he’s packed on over the last seven or so months, DeChambeau is an experiment playing out in real time. He says he’s trying to be the house, to which onlookers reply he’s built like one, but what he means is he wants to play with the odds in his favor.

When you’re driving it 35 yards past Bubba Watson, statistical models say the odds are strongly in your favor.

Of course you have to make the putts, like DeChambeau is doing. You have to do the little things, like he’s doing. You have to sweat it out on the range and get your mental house in order, like he’s doing.

As for his absolute best stuff, that’s a scary thought. Is DeChambeau on the verge of exploding?

“Well, I know it can spark at any time, just like this back nine,” he said after shooting 5-under 31. “Besides that final bogey – that really got me a little agitated, you know, it's going to put a little fire in my belly for tomorrow. I feel like I'm in a good place.

“It's fun to be able to play good golf not having your A game,” he added.