Tiger Woods has detailed how Bryson DeChambeau has managed to “optimise” the driver and transform golf in a way that was never possible during the early stages of his own dominant career.

The 15-time major champion also used unprecedented power and physicality to assist his breakthrough in the late nineties.

But Woods insists the technology during the infancy of his career meant he still needed accuracy with his ball striking to compliment his natural physical gifts. 

But despite explaining how his compatriot and US Open champion has had it easier, Woods heaped praise on DeChambeau for “putting in the time and work” to enable his “incredible” work. 

“Well, back then, there wasn’t the technology to optimise our tee shots and optimise the driver yet,” Woods explained at his pre-tournament press conference.

“We were just coming out of basically the persimmon days and coming into metal. More guys were switching over to graphite instead of steel.

“The wound ball was very spinny, and heads were very small, so it was important to hit the ball in the middle of the face.

“Well, I happened to have speed and I happened to hit the ball in the middle of the face and was able to have a little bit of an advantage over the guys.

“But now you have the ability to optimise one club, and to be able to use that driver as a weapon, to hit it basically as far as you possibly can, we just didn’t have the technology to be able to optimise that [before].

“And Bryson has, he’s put in the time. He’s put in the work. What he’s done in the gym has been incredible and what he’s done on the range and what he’s done with his entire team to be able to optimise that one club and transform his game and the ability to hit the ball as far as he has and in as short as span as he has, it’s never been done before.

“You know, I had speed, and as you say, in '97, I hit it far. As I got bigger and I filled out and tried to get stronger, it was not to hit the ball further. It was to be more consistent and to be able to practice longer. Actually I got a little bit shorter as I got into my mid 20s and late 20s.

“Probably the most speed I ever had, I was 20 years old. So 21, I still had a little bit more speed, but as I got a little bit bigger, I didn’t hit it as far, but I got better.

“What Bryson has done has been absolutely incredible and we have all been amazed at what he’s been able to do in such a short span of time, it’s never been done before.”