Bobby Massa might give Aldrich Potgieter a challenge in the long-ball department this week at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Potgieter currently leads the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging 324.1 yards off the tee heading into this week’s event at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. But Massa, one of four Monday qualifiers, brings serious firepower of his own.
The 37-year-old sports performance coach from Dallas has quietly become one of the world’s top mid-amateurs. He reached the quarterfinals of last summer’s U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine and made it to the final of the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
And yes, he hits absolute bombs – we’re talking 127-plus mph swing speed with ball speeds in the 190s.
Massa’s path to this week’s PGA Tour start is anything but conventional. He spent five years as a professional after graduating from Texas-Arlington before walking away from competitive golf, driven out by the swing yips.
“I couldn’t break 90 to save my life,” Massa told GolfChannel.com last year.
That forced break led to his current career. Massa now works at Sanders Fit, where his client list includes professional and elite amateur golfers, NFL, NBA and MLB players, and even USGA president Fred Perpall. His specialty? Unlocking golf distance through non-golf-specific training. It’s earned him the nickname “Bobby Speed” in some circles.
Massa regained his amateur status in 2019, but the golf distance boom has kept him busy with his coaching business. His last world-ranked tournament was the East West Matches at Maridoe last November. Off the course, he and his wife Kalloway have a daughter, Palmer, who’s almost 2, and a 4-month-old son, Miller, who was born two months premature last December.
“2024 has definitely been the craziest year of my life,” Massa wrote on Instagram.
This won’t be Massa’s first rodeo on the PGA Tour. He’s played in the Byron Nelson twice before – in 2013 and 2023, missing the cut both times. Last year, he averaged 324.8 yards off the tee, ranking inside the top 10 in driving distance for the week.
Massa secured his spot through Monday qualifying at Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, a course he played during his college days. He shot 67 and survived a 5-for-4 playoff along with fellow qualifiers Ross Steelman, Nick Watney and Nelson Ledesma.
