'Hulk' DeChambeau Tied 16th, 3 Shots Behind: "Today, 348 Yards~"

RBC Heritage Day 3: 1 Under Par Falters, Hatton, Simpson, Palmer, Ancer Tied for Lead, 'Number 1' McIlroy Tied 28th

Bryson DeChambeau is putting on the 18th hole during the third day of the RBC Heritage. Hilton Head (South Carolina, USA) = Getty Images / Photo by Multivitz

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Maximum 348 yards."

'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau (USA) continues his display of power. On the 21st (Korean time) at the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina (par 71, 7,099 yards), during the third round of the PGA Tour RBC Heritage (total prize money $7.1 million), he hit an incredible 348 yards. He is tied for 16th place at 12 under par 201 strokes, three strokes behind the joint leaders (15 under par 198 strokes) including Tyrrell Hatton (England), well positioned to contend for the win.

DeChambeau has recently increased his body weight by 18 kg as part of his 'long drive experiment.' He already led the 2020 season in average driving distance at 323.8 yards. On this day, he recorded three birdies and two bogeys. His iron shot green hit rate was 77.78%, and his average putts per hole were 1.79, indicating some difficulty on the greens, which limited him to just one stroke gained. Starting from a tie for second place, one stroke behind, his ranking slipped slightly.

Hatton, Webb Simpson, Ryan Palmer (all USA), and Abraham Ancer (Mexico) are fiercely competing for the lead. Hatton, in particular, surged with an 8-under-par round to take the top spot on the leaderboard. He secured his first PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last March, just before the tour was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He now has a chance for back-to-back wins in two consecutive tournaments.

The 'Big 5' are also engaged in a fierce battle for the title. World No. 4 Brooks Koepka and No. 5 Dustin Johnson (both USA) joined the tie for 16th place, while 'Number 1' Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) improved his position to a tie for 28th at 10 under par 203 strokes, leading with a 5-under-par round. Second-ranked Jon Rahm (Spain) and third-ranked Justin Thomas (USA) also each reduced their scores by five strokes, finishing tied for 36th at 9 under par 204 strokes, setting the stage for the final fourth round.

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