'Hulk' DeChambeau Moves Up to 2nd Place... 'Twist Swing' Wolff Leads

Rocket Mortgage Classic Day 3: Armor Joins Tied 2nd Place, Kim Siwoo Tied 49th for Korea

'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau is examining the putting line on the 3rd hole on the third day of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Detroit, Michigan, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] 'The Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau (USA) continues his march toward victory.

On the 5th (Korean time), at the Detroit Golf Club in Michigan, USA (par 72, 7,334 yards), during the third day of the PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic (total prize money $7.5 million), he added 5 under par to tie for 2nd place (16 under par, 200 strokes). Matthew Wolff (USA) shot 8 under par for the second consecutive day and leads by 3 strokes (19 under par, 197 strokes). Ryan Armour is tied for 2nd, and Chris Kirk (both USA) is tied for 4th (14 under par, 202 strokes).

DeChambeau recorded 6 birdies and 1 bogey. The newsworthy point is that he repeatedly demonstrated his power, including a massive 374-yard tee shot on the 13th hole (par 4). This surpassed his 367-yard shot during the 4th round of the RBC Heritage on the 21st. After finishing the 2019 season last September at 91 kg, he gained 9 kg, and during the three-month PGA Tour suspension due to COVID-19, he added another 9 kg, completing a massive 109 kg physique, which is intriguing.

Of course, this was for longer drives. He proudly mentioned, "Along with diet, I increased muscle mass through intense workouts." In fact, he ranked 2nd in average driving distance in the 2020 season (320.5 yards). Compared to 34th place last year (302.5 yards), this is a tremendous improvement. On this day, he also executed 'pinpoint iron shots,' missing the green only three times. The only regret was not lowering his score further, with an average of 1.73 putts per hole.

Wolff is the player to watch. He made an eagle on the 14th hole (par 5) and collected 9 birdies (3 bogeys). His 'twist swing,' where he twists his left leg just before the swing, attracted attention. In July last year at the John Deere Classic, Ho-sung Choi (47), known for his 'fisherman swing,' participated as an invited player, creating a unique swing contest. Wolff is poised to claim his second career win following the 3M Open. For Korea, Kim Si-woo (25) is tied for 49th (8 under par, 208 strokes), Im Sung-jae (22) and Noh Seung-yul (29) are tied for 59th (7 under par, 209 strokes), and Lee Kyung-hoon (29, all CJ Logistics) is tied for 63rd (6 under par, 210 strokes).

'Twist Swing' Matthew Wolff is teeing off at the 15th hole on the third day of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Detroit, Michigan, USA = Getty Images/Multibits