Bryson DeChambeau to Have Surgery On Fractured Bone in Left Hand
Bryson DeChambeau, who has struggled with injuries throughout 2022, will have surgery on his left hand, putting next month’s PGA Championship in doubt.
DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, was scheduled to compete in a Professional Long Drivers Association event this week in Florida. But Bobby Peterson, one of the owners of the association, told SI.com/Morning Read that DeChambeau pulled out due to the pending surgery.
“He’s going to have surgery on Thursday,’’ Peterson said. “It’s unfortunate more for him. I hate that he’s not going to the event. But I hate it more for him. Obviously it’s not good or he wouldn’t be doing that. I know he was trying to avoid it, but I guess he felt it was something he had to do.’’
The golfer disclosed prior to the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship last month that he had suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and a torn labrum in his left hip.
“Bryson will undergo surgery on his hamate bone in his left hand. We look forward to a smooth recovery and rehab process," said Brett Falkoff, DeChambeau's agent. "Bryson looks forward to returning as soon as he is cleared to do so.”
The hand injury occurred while he was playing Ping-Pong and slipped at a tournament he was playing on the Asian Tour called the PIF Saudi International. DeChambeau withdrew from that event after one round.
He didn’t return until the Match Play, where DeChambeau then said surgery was a possibility in the future. There, he did not make it out of pool play. DeChambeau then missed the cut at the Valero Texas Open and again at the Masters, where he shot scores of 76-80.
“I’m probably around 80 percent right now,’’ he said before the Masters. “I can’t go all out. I can’t do any speed training sessions. I can’t practice for excessive hours like I have to (be able to) figure stuff out.’’
DeChambeau finished seventh in the Professional Long Drivers Association World Championships last year the week following the Ryder Cup and was entered in the Sunshine Showdown at Hobe Sound Polo Club near Jupiter, Florida. The event is scheduled to begin Thursday and DeChambeau was to take part in the open division on Saturday.
“It’s one of my favorite things to do to help grow the sport,’’ DeChambeau said of the long drive competitions.
“We’re sorry he can’t make it as he really gave us a boost,’’ Peterson said. “He’s under the microscope on everything. If you have a hiccup, the goon squad gets on you. Anybody can get hurt. It’s part of being a professional athlete.
“I think he’ll get through this and come back stronger than ever. An injury like this, maybe it renews your appreciation for the fact that you have a God-given talent to capitalize on. I hope it renews his drive and he’s great for the game.’’
The hamate bone is on the left side of the left hand, which takes the brunt of the pounding for a right-handed player. And yet through two rounds of the Masters, DeChambeau was third in driving distance behind Rory McIlroy and Cameron Champ, averaging 312.5 yards off the tee.
Since late 2019, DeChambeau went on an intense training regiment to gain more bulk and size, the result being that he became the longest driver on the PGA Tour. At times, he has overpowered golf courses, and won the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot by six shots. Although he contended several times last year, his only victory came at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Not much has gone right for DeChambeau on the golf course since his impressive showing at the long drive event.
He has played just six events overall in 2022, five on the PGA Tour, with his best finish a tie for 25th at the no-cut Sentry Tournament of Champions in January. He then missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, withdrew from the Saudi event, failed to advance out of the group stage at the Match Play and has followed two more missed cuts.
DeChambeau has dropped from fifth in the world to 19th.
“It’s one of those things that everybody has a tough stretch in their career, and especially with coming off an injury, swinging one-handed for three or four weeks with your right hand only, it messed my normal golf swing up,’’ he said prior to the Masters. “It's a learning experience. Every time, like I've always said, your lowest moments are your best — your worst failures are your best teachers.’’
DeChambeau would have likely played the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, May 12-15, near his Dallas home. The PGA Championship is the following week, May 19-22, at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.