For Bryson DeChambeau, the week at the US Open 2024 could hardly have gone better so far. Before his final round, he stands at the top with a three-stroke lead and expressed his satisfaction with his golf game in an interview. This might be partly due to a secret he revealed in the press conference following his third round.
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As Bryson DeChambeau revealed in response to a well-informed journalist, a small but promising detail of the American's preparation is how he treats his golf balls. According to him, the 30-year-old soaks his balls in a epsom salt solution before his rounds to balance them. Normally, Epsom salt is used for body detoxification. Well, DeChambeau expects a similar effect on his golf balls. He explains the reasoning behind this process as follows: "Golf balls are out of balance. It's just because of the manufacturing process, there is always going to be an error. Especially when it's a sphere." DeChambeau aims to keep the balls in a better balance through this process and they are also marked for alignment during DeChambeau's shots, with the heavier side of the ball pointing downwards. He further compares an unprepared golf ball to a mud ball, whose flight and roll-out are inconsistent due to small dirt particles affecting the weight distribution.
Even though DeChambeau is aware that this preparation if anything only influences his game by a minimal fraction, he wants to do everything possible to start his round in the best way possible. This trick might help him more mentally than it does in terms of the actual flight path of the ball. However, if he manages to maintain his lead and win the US Open 2024, no one will be able to criticize his routine.