Brandon Matthews may not be a name you’re aware of, but his style of play is something that draws eyeballs.
He’s known for his driver, but more importantly, he’s known for the numbers he can put up with the big stick.
For example, at The Ascendant, a Korn Ferry Tour tournament held at the beginning of July, Matthews smashed a drive that went 412 yards. His driving distance average this season on the KFT is 320 yards.
You may be thinking, so what? Cameron Champ averages 320.2 yards. Rory McIlroy averages over 319. Well, Matthews is so long he isn’t able to hit driver as much as he would like.
He was asked about that during his Tuesday press conference before the start of this week’s 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities.
“Yeah, so driver’s definitely going to be in the bag, be able to hit it a few times out here. A lot of these holes where I am going to hit driver, it sets up really nice for my eye. It’s going to be nice to hit it a few times this week for sure,” he said when asked if driver has a place in the bag this week.
“It’s going to be great, but also to that point, it’s also an advantage when I can hit 3-iron, 2-iron, 3-wood, whatever it is up to the points where some guys are hitting a driver,” he said. “Using my length to an advantage in the proper way is kind of how I look at it where I get my advantage.”
🔊 Sound up for @B_Matthews12 412-yard drive on the fifth hole @AscendantGolf.
Yep, a 412-yard drive. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/vnjHQ3Tyrg
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) July 2, 2022
Matthews earned his 2023 PGA Tour card earlier this year, as well as a spot in the 2022 U.S. Open field where he’d eventually make it to the weekend and finish 60th.
“It was really cool. You know, teeing off afternoon on a Saturday in my first major was pretty great,” he said when asked about his experience at The Country Club. “Birdied the first hole, so I was in contention on an afternoon on a Saturday of my first major, so gave me a lot of confidence. Unfortunately, you know, things kind of didn’t go my way from there. The mental side kind of left a little bit and doing that in a U.S. Open doesn’t really help a lot coming down the stretch. But it was a great experience.”
202 ball speed
398 CARRY@B_Matthews12 is a different species pic.twitter.com/aLXDEhBixq— Drew Carr (@DrewCarr_) June 30, 2022
Two of the last three winners of the 3M Open can be classified as bombers: Cameron Champ and Matthew Wolff. The year Wolff won, DeChambeau was one of the runner-ups.
“It definitely gives me confidence to see past champions here and who’s played well,” Matthews said. “Again, excited for the opportunity, looking forward to competing on this golf course, on a golf course where longer hitters are at a slight advantage.”
Over the last month and a half on the KFT, Matthews has put together a great stretch of golf finishing inside the top 15 in three of his last four starts including a T-3 at The Ascendant two weeks ago.
He withdrew from his last start after three rounds.
And, despite the tougher competition, he sounds confident in his game.
“I constantly say that if I — if I’m at a golf tournament, I’m not here to make a cut, I’m not here to, you know, slightly contend or finish high. If I wasn’t here to win a golf tournament, I need to figure out a different profession.”
