Who is the longest golfer in the field at the 2024 US Open?
Bryson DeChambeau is a name that might spring to mind after he hit 196mph with a drive during the final round of the PGA Championship last month. Gordon Sargent would be another good guess – the No.1-ranked amateur in the world who has already earned his PGA Tour card, and can cruise in the high 190s.
But the correct answer, ultimately, is Charlie Reiter. A former junior golf phenomenon who played college golf at the University of San Diego and University of Southern California. The professional golfer who plays the PGA Tour Canada fired a 63 in final qualifying to make his second US Open appearance at Pinehurst this week.
Charlie Reiter smoothing one on the range.
194 mph ball speed. Clocked the apex at 164 feet which might be wrong but I’d also believe it.
Crazy how much power he has. pic.twitter.com/eEE4klqf14
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) June 11, 2024
“The kid is a freak,” his coach, Golf Digest Top 50 coach George Gankas, says. “It’s pretty insane.”
“He’s crazy-long,” DeChambeau says. “Super, super powerful.”
How long is Reiter? We’re less than two days into the US Open and the stories are already piling up.
- Reiter hit a drive north of 198mph on the range on Monday – which would’ve been the fastest drive recorded on the PGA Tour last season.
- Reiter hit multiple 3-woods over the net installed on the Pinehurst driving range – a more than 320-yard carry.
- Reiter hit one drive more than 30 yards past Bryson DeChambeau during their practice round together on Monday.
Charlie Reiter on the U.S. Open range 🫠 pic.twitter.com/6zQ2twDvgz
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) June 11, 2024
How does Reiter generate such power? Well, that’s a better question for the rest of us.
Reiter is an incredibly explosive athlete, forged by years of speed training growing up. A recent analysis by Dr Chris Bishop at Middlesex University in England found that golfers’ ability to perform a variety of explosive tasks, like jumping, correlates most highly with clubhead speed. Reiter is obviously extremely strong, but perhaps more importantly, he’s explosive.
He also works hard on his golf swing with his long-time coach Gankas. A key move, Gankas says, is to make sure Reiter shallows early in his downswing, which allows him to swing from the inside as he uses the big muscles in his legs and torso to rotate aggressively through for more speed.
As for how he’ll fare this week at Pinehurst?
“Don’t be surprised if he plays well,” Gankas says. “That kid is capable of anything.”
