LIV Golf star Cam Smith named a player who he thinks is a more impressive driver than Bryson DeChambeau.
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the greatest drivers of the golf ball we have ever seen. He frequently hits the ball over 400 yards with a ball speed of over 190 mph. He hits it so hard that he’s hoping to introduce a new ball for next season to cope with his speed.
But 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith said there is a player on the PGA Tour who is more impressive off the tee box.
Cam Smith says Rory McIlroy is the best player off the tee that he’s ever seen
Smith said that Rory McIlroy is the best driver he’s seen. Speaking on the Colin Cowherd podcast, he said, “Rory’s the most impressive driver of the golf ball I’ve ever seen. I don’t think anyone could be better than him off the tee.
“He does all the right stuff, hits it in the right places. He can be very dominant when he’s on.”
McIlroy, the 2025 Masters champion, has been incredible with the driver since his arrival on the pro scene. While it’s difficult to compare him with Bryson DeChambeau, who competes on the LIV Golf Tour, it’s hard to argue he’s been better with the driver this season.
DeChambeau has averaged six more yards per drive than McIlroy this season. He led both the Masters and PGA Championship in distance off the tee in 2025. He also has averaged nearly 1.5 more strokes off the tee than McIlroy this season.
Comparisons are tricky due to DeChambeau’s trip to Mexico City with LIV Golf. The thin air allowed him to average an astonishing 377 yards off the tee for the event. He drove the ball 412 yards in the opening round.
When McIlroy’s driver is locked in, he’s practically unbeatable. At the 2014 WGC–Bridgestone Invitational, McIlroy found the fairway or first cut 71% of the time. He gained a massive 2.2 strokes per round off the tee with his distance and accuracy.
Although this season’s numbers don’t back him up, we’ll take Smith’s word for it!
Rivals Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy set for Ryder Cup stand-off
McIlroy and DeChambeau have a heated rivalry. Naturally, there is tension between the LIV Golf star and one of the faces of the PGA Tour, but dramatic results in tournaments have only fuelled the fire.
DeChambeau snatched the U.S. Open from McIlroy in 2024 after a series of missed short putts from the Northern Irishman down the stretch. It would have been the first major win for a decade for McIlroy, but DeChambeau seized the win with an incredible bunker shot and on the 18th to win by one.
A few months later, the two golfers took part in the Crypto.com Showdown in Las Vegas. During the pre-event availability, DeChambeau jabbed at McIlroy while discussing his U.S. Open win.
“I’d like to get him back for what he did to me at the U.S. Open,” McIlroy said. DeChambeau responded, “To be fair, you kind of did that to yourself.”
McIlroy and DeChambeau were then paired for the final round of the Masters in 2025. McIlroy won the Masters to complete the career grand slam, this time getting the better of the American. After the round, DeChambeau said McIlroy, “Didn’t talk to me once all day.”
McIlroy hit back, saying, “We’re trying to win the Masters… I’m not going to be his best mate out there.”
Now DeChambeau and McIlroy prepare for the Ryder Cup. At The Open Championship, DeChambeau said the Americans are tired of losing. He expects a “tsunami” of support in New York for Team USA.
Meanwhile, McIlroy said after Europe’s 2023 win in Rome that the next goal is to win on American soil. He said the Ryder Cup is the best event in golf. This means everything to him. Who knows? We could even get a matchup between these two rivals at Bethpage Black.