Bryson DeChambeau went to extreme lengths to hit the ball extreme lengths off the tee, while Rory McIlroy has been one of the purest and most powerful drivers of a golf ball since he was young - but who hits it further?
McIlroy could be the ultimate driving machine in golf, launching the ball long and high off the tee in what has been a huge strength for the four-time Major champion.
DeChambeau took a different approach and bulked up by adding muscle to use sheer brute force to send the ball out there, and the move paid off as he strolled to US Open victory predominantly due to his length off the tee.
McIlroy v DeChambeau driving distances
Both men have topped the PGA Tour driving-distance stats, with McIlroy just edging it as his success in 2023 gave him a third driving-distance title, while DeChambeau has two after going back-to-back in 2020 and 2021.
McIlroy topped the the driving-distance stats once again in 2023 with an average of 326.3 yards off the tee - the longest in PGA Tour history and eclipsing DeChambeau's previous best by almost three yards.
Nicknamed 'The Scientist', DeChambeau sought to improve after turning professional by improving his muscle mass in late 2019 when he embarked on a rigorous training regime to dramatically bulk up and improve his swing speed and driving distances. He also began using specially-designed irons with thicker grips, and the results were remarkable.
He topped the driving-distance charts with an average of 322.1 yards just a year later in 2020 before going even better by claiming successive titles in 2021 with an improved average of 323.7 yards.
That stood for just a couple of years though before McIlroy pipped him with a superb season of driving excellence.
PGA Tour driving distance leaders
- 2023 — Rory McIlroy, 326.3 yards average
- 2022 — Cameron Champ, 321.4
- 2021 — Bryson DeChambeau, 323.7
- 2020 — Bryson DeChambeau, 322.1
- 2019 — Cameron Champ, 317.9
- 2018 — Rory McIlroy, 319.7
- 2017 — Rory McIlroy, 316.7
- 2016 — J.B. Holmes, 314.5
- 2015 — Dustin Johnson, 317.7
- 2014 — Bubba Watson, 314.3
McIlroy v DeChambeau longest drives
McIlroy's longest recorded drive of his career came in 2023 and was a full 100 yards further than his record driving average, with it measuring 427 yards.
It came at a windy Renaissance Club in Scotland during the Scottish Open - with a combination of McIlroy's awesome raw power, a gust of wind, and a bouncy links fairway leading to the monster drive.
It was a crucial drive as well at the seventh hole of the Renaissance Club as it set up a birdie which ultimately helped McIlroy pip Robert MacIntyre to win the Scottish Open title.
After finishing tied for 62nd on the PGA Tour's Longest Drives list in 2019, DeChambeau rose to sixth the following year with a longest drive of 428 yards at The Travelers Championship - 42 yards further than his best effort the previous year.
In 2021, he finished one place higher, albeit with a top drive 14 yards shorter than the previous year. Then, an injury-hit 2022 left him with a longest drive of “only” 403-yards in the same tournament, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, before he signed for LIV Golf.
Despite DeChambeau's improvement in driving distances on the PGA Tour, the longest of his career to date came elsewhere, while he was competing in The Match exhibition tournament during 2021.
After joining forces with Aaron Rodgers, the pair beat Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson. Along the way, DeChambeau hit an incredible 480-yard drive on the par-5 777-yard eighth hole at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Montana.
McIlroy v DeChambeau stock yardages
Comparing the pair's stock yardages makes for interesting reading as DeChambeau has a full 20-yard advantage on McIlroy in terms of driver distance, with 340 yards his nominated stock yardage compared to 'only' 320.
McIlroy's ball striking means his 3-iron is just five yards shorter than DeChambeau, with bag set-up meaning they don't quite have comparable fairways woods.
With shorter irons, the American restores his 20-yard advantage throughout. McIlroy's 8-iron going 180 yards is eye-watering, but DeChambeau having a 200-yard distance for his is just beyond belief.
So it works out just about how you'd expect, with DeChambeau having a power and brute force advantage in terms of the longest drives and stock yardages, but perhaps McIlroy's accuracy and ball striking see him just pinch it in terms of their best efforts of driving distance over a season.
