Will Bryson DeChambeau Face Punishment for His ‘Salt’ Ball Hack at the 2024 U.S. Open?

No doubt, only Bryson DeChambeau could’ve thought of this. After all, he is known as the Scientist! The 2020 US Open winner has played amazingly at Pinehurst so far. He shot 67, 69, and 67 in the three rounds. And to top it all off, the LIV golfer played with an aching back. Pinehurst is a difficult course, and to shoot so well definitely comes with skills and hacks! At the Masters, it was the 3D-printed irons. But at the US Open, it’s salt! 

“I put my golf balls in Epsom salt, I’m lucky enough that Connor, my manager, does that now. I don’t have to do it. But essentially we float golf balls in a solution to make sure that the golf ball is not out of balance.” DeChambeau said with laughter. In the past, golf balls were out of balance at times due to manufacturing problems. Technology has advanced, and no one knows it better than the man whose irons are 3D printed. Yet, DeChambeau didn’t want to take any chances. 

Is it legal, though? His Avoda irons ran afoul of the USGA previously. A last-ditch modification made them Masters and PGA Championship-friendly. As for the ‘salt ball,’ the USGA doesn’t have a clear set of rules. There is no prohibition to it. So, it’s not ball-tampering, despite some raised eyebrows since his admission. 

But the very fact that there is no set of rules on this tells a lot about Bryson DeChambeau. It is safe to say no one in recent memory has done it, or at least, boldly admitted to doing so. “You can’t perfectly get it in the center. So what I’m doing is finding pretty much the out-of-balanceness of it, how much out of balance it is. Heavy slide floats to the bottom, and then we mark the top with a dot to make sure it’s always rolling over itself. It kind of acts like mud.”

DeChambeau garnered a lot of attention for his 3-D printed irons too. Before teeing off at the US Open, he spoke of how they are different, and said, “So, I created curvature on the toe and the heel to get it started a little farther right on the toe and on the heel start it a little farther left so it makes sure it doesn’t go too far offline,” he said. “Much like the driver.” 

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It’s what made him a scientist. Or the ‘mad scientist’ as some called him behind his back a few years ago. Yes, he is a physics major, and a lot of his ‘hacks’ are attributed to that. But the physics curriculum at Southern Methodist University, of course, didn’t have any specific segment on golf balls or the possibility of manufacturing 3D-printed irons. 

So, what explains Bryson DeChambeau’s ingenious methods?

It comes from DeChambeau’s incessant pursuit of bettering his game and being methodical with the tee. And, of course, a whole lot of knowledge about the history of golf—more than what he is credited for. Nevertheless, it’s this tinkering and perhaps a little bit of his flaunting that landed him in the crosshairs of golf fans a few years ago. 

And, now, this uniqueness is what makes him perhaps the most intriguing and interesting figure in golf, across the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. DeChambeau is 3rd in strokes gained off the tee (1.41), 8th in approach (+1.3), 5th in putting (+1.76), and 6th in reaching greens in regulation (36/54). 

He lost his dad a few years ago. His father couldn’t attend his first major victory, and he won’t be there to witness his second if he keeps playing the “boring golf” he aimed to play at Pinehurst No. 2. DeChambeau tees off with Matthieu Pavon in the final pairing. More fist pumps might be incoming on Sunday.