Science behind Bryson DeChambeau's 'salty balls' propelling him to US Open glory

Bryson DeChambeau is firmly embracing the role of scientific showman as the American and his ‘salty balls’ chase U.S. Open glory.

DeChambeau owns the lead heading into the final day of the U.S. Open, the only major to which he possesses the blueprint to victory having done so at Winged Foot in 2020. He tallied a remarkable six birdies on Saturday to shoot a three-under 67 and lead Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Matthieu Pavon by three at seven-under.

Such a lead in a major is not by chance. DeChambeau takes his craft very seriously, meticulously treating golf as the science it is to seek any advantage to his game - including using salty balls.

“I put my golf balls in Epsom salt,” DeChambeau told reporters. “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.

“There was a big thing back in the day where golf balls are out of balance, and it's just because of the manufacturing process. There's always going to be an error, especially when it's a sphere and there's dimples on the edges. 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.

“If there's too much weight on one side, you can put it 90 degrees to where the mud is on the right-hand side or the mud is on the left-hand side. I'm using mud as a reference for the weight over there. It'll fly differently and fly inconsistently. For most golf balls that we get, it's not really that big of a deal.

“I just try to be as precise as possible, and it's one more step that I do to make sure my golf ball flies as straight as it possibly can fly because I’m not that great at hitting it that straight.”

DeChambeau may not deem himself ‘great’ at hitting the ball straight, but he is striking it well enough to get around Pinehurst No. 2. He is in prime position to add a long-awaited second major, and it’s certainly not been a straightforward path to get here.

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Bryson DeChambeau has become a fan favourite recently

While DeChambeau is desperately looking to repeat what he achieved four years ago, the American has undergone a stark personal transformation. Once perceived as brash and arrogant, the LIV Golf star has evolved.

Four years ago, DeChambeau claimed Augusta National was a ‘par-67 for me because I can reach all the par fives in two’. The reaction to his success as he fist-pumped his way around Pinehurst No. 2 suggests DeChambeau is firmly in the running to be the people’s champion.

“It was amazing,” DeChambeau said of the fan support at Pinehurst. “I can't thank them enough. It was a blessing. Man, they riled me up. It just gives me a spike in my adrenaline and allows me to focus more on delivering for the fans and for myself and for my family. It just inspires me.”

Asked what it means to him following the sharp change in his public perception, the 30-year-old added: “I mean, it's meant a lot to me. Just thinking back three years ago, the landscape was a lot different. I tried to show everybody who I was. I didn't do it the right way and could have done a lot of things better.

“I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me to help me move in the right direction with the content that we're producing, social media, and then also just a great perspective on life. Those combination of things have allowed me to not only have a new perspective but an opportunity to show myself in a different light and to entertain the fans out there on the golf course.”

DeChambeau will be paired with Pavon when he tees off on Sunday.