Long-hitting Massa, aka 'Bobby Speed,' among Byron Nelson qualifiers
Potgieter is the PGA Tour's current leader in average driving distance (324.1 yards) entering the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. But 37-year-old Bobby Massa, one of four Monday qualifiers, has some serious speed, too.
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Massa is a sports performance coach from Dallas who has recently become one of the top mid-amateurs in the world. He reached the quarterfinals of last summer's U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine before falling in the final of the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
And he hits bombs – 127-plus mph swing speed, ball speeds in the 190s.
Massa was once a pro golfer, for five years after graduating from Texas-Arlington. Then he gave up the game, forced into exile by the swing yips.
'I couldn't break 90 to save my life,' Massa told GolfChannel.com last year.
Bobby Massa.jpg
Bobby Massa teaches people to hit bombs; at age 36, he's still mashing at U.S. Amateur
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Massa won his first-round match Wednesday at Hazeltine to advance to the Round of 32.
The break from competing led to Massa's current career. He now works at Sanders Fit, where his clientele ranges from pro and elite amateur golfers to NFL, NBA and MLB players to even USGA president Fred Perpall. For Massa, it's all about unlocking his golf clients' speed and distance through non-golf-specific training. Perpall says some people call Massa, "Bobby Speed."
Massa got his amateur status back in 2019, but with golf's distance boom, he's been plenty busy with his day job. His last world-ranked tournament was the East West Matches at Maridoe last November. He and his wife, Kalloway, have an almost 2-year-old daughter, Palmer, and a 4-month-old son, Miller, who was born Dec. 4 two months premature.
"2024 has definitely been the craziest year of my life," Massa wrote on Instagram last December.
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This won't be Massa's PGA Tour debut. He's played in two previous editions of the Byron Nelson, first in 2013 (MC) and then 2023 (MC). He averaged 324.8 yards off the tee two years ago to rank inside the top 10 in driving distance for the week.
Massa is joined in this week's field by fellow Monday qualifiers Ross Steelman, Nick Watney and Nelson Ledesma. All four got through a 5-for-4 playoff after shooting 67 on Monday at Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where Massa played some in college.
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