Golf, like table tennis, attracts inquisitive minds. To excel at either sport requires endless experimentation, observation and refinement of theory. Thus, it should not be surprising that one who excels at both should be known as "The Scientist." The lab coat in this case belongs to one Bryson DeChambeau, who majored in physics while attending SMU on a golf scholarship. He has put this theoretical knowledge into practice on the PGA tour with his idiosyncratic custom clubs and unconventional swing, earning him the scientific sobriquet. Before matriculating with the Mustangs, however, DeChambeau was a multi-sport athlete juggling golf, volleyball, soccer and basketball. The renaissance jock practiced his favorite sport, however, during lunchtime. "I used to play ping-pong in high school all the time," says DeChambeau. "At lunch, I’d just go into the art room, Mr. Guaglianone’s art room, and he was so nice to let us go in there and we’d play ping-pong on his art tables. We’d put a little net up there, we’d play on them, and we got really good!" DeChambeau, pictured here holding the Rocket Mortgage Classic trophy in a decidedly racket-like manner, is known on the PGA tour for his obsessive practice routines, a trait which was evident even in his adolescence. So dedicated were DeChambeau and his high school crew, in fact, that they passed the hat and invested in a tireless practice partner rarely seen outside of a table tennis training facility. "I used to practice at lunchtime with a couple of buddies of mine against this little robot," recalls DeChambeau. "We bought a robot, not kidding, and we got a robot where this thing would shoot out the ball, different velocities, and different spin rates. This is what professionals practice with." Now a professional in another sport, DeChambeau's countless hours studying the effect of spin on a flying ball have certainly paid dividends. On September 20, DeChambeau won the US Open, his first Major championship, by six strokes. He was the only player under par. Perhaps with all his money, Bryson DeChambeau, could buy Mr. Guaglianone a real ping-pong table?

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