The (former) intern had no trouble with his first big test after graduating to the big leagues.
Bryson DeChambeau turned pro earlier this week, and he quickly made strides toward securing his PGA Tour card for next season. DeChambeau closed with a 3-under 68 at the RBC Heritage to finish T-4, four shots behind winner Branden Grace.
It was a strong close to a pro debut that exceeded many expectations, as DeChambeau led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green at Harbour Town Golf Links.
“I putted a lot better than the last few days,” DeChambeau said. “Unfortunately my driver was kind of giving out today. I’ll definitely work on that for next week. It was definitely fun to see some putts go in.”
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One week after taking low amateur honors at the Masters, DeChambeau earned a check for $259,600 along with 123 FedEx Cup points. Both will go a long way toward securing his status for the rest of the season and beyond, as DeChambeau needs to accrue at least 361 FedEx Cup points to earn special temporary membership that would bring with it unlimited sponsor invites this season.
To earn a full card for next season, he’ll need to equal the points or earnings of No. 125 on the season-long standings, which last season meant a cutoff of 458 points or $747,899 in earnings.
DeChambeau still has six sponsor invites at his disposal. He was already planning to play next week’s Valero Texas Open, but now he will be able to save a sponsor invite because his top-10 finish this week earns him a spot at TPC San Antonio. The 22-year-old then plans to take a week off before teeing it up at the Wells Fargo Championship, followed by spots at the AT&T Byron Nelson and Dean & Deluca Invitational next month.
“It’s been quite a journey so far, these past couple weeks,” he said. “It’s an honor to be playing out here with these big boys, trying to do my best. Hopefully I can keep competing out there and hopefully I can get a couple of wins out there.”