Yannik Paul added 12lb of weight and 3mph to his swing speed ahead of US PGA

Yannik Paul is hopeful that his recent 12lb weight gain and subsequent swing speed gains will help him navigate Oak Hill Country Club at this week’s 105th US PGA Championship.

Paul, who is making his second Major Championship appearance in Rochester this week, revealed that he spent a seven-week mid-season break transforming his body in order to get stronger and faster.

The 29-year-old German, who earned his maiden DP World Tour victory during his rookie season at the Mallorca Golf Open last year, had already admitted earlier in the season to a change in mindset that brought about a positive change in results: From two missed cuts in three starts in the Middle East to back-to-back runner-up finishes in Thailand and India.

But now he has explained that he has also been working hard on both his diet and his workout schedule this year. Having gained 12lbs of muscle and mass and 3mph of swing speed in seven weeks off after India, the World Number 103 is hopeful that both of these advancements will help him tackle the thick rough and slender fairways of Oak Hill.

"I felt like I worked out a lot but I felt like when I was doing tournaments I kept it down a bit," said Paul, who was filmed today hitting ball speeds of 188mph on the range.

"I came back from India after playing six weeks in a row and I was at 172 lbs and then I had basically a seven week break, and worked out five or six times a week with my trainer Rob. I tried to get into a routine. I woke up every morning and went to the gym, and tried to eat a lot of healthy stuff, and try to eat a lot and gain muscle and try and gain some mass.

"When I flew to Japan I was 184 lbs, so I gained 12lbs. Not all of that was pure muscle but a lot of that is muscle I think. Since then my speed went up about 3 miles per hour, so hopefully that will help me for this week. Not just from the tee box but also when you’re in the rough, the more speed you have the more speed you can create, the more likely you can get it close to the green.

"You’ve got to get it out of the rough. As long as you drive it well then you will have a lot of mid-irons in then you can attack some of the pins but if you are in the rough then you obviously have to play defensively. Hopefully I stay in the fairway but if I’m in the rough hopefully I can advance it a bit further. So I think it will help me not just this week but in general."

In addition to gains in speed and weight, Paul is also bringing perspective and learnings to this week's tournament after a disappointing missed cut in his Major debut at last year’s U.S. Open.

Much of that is about keeping to a routine more reflective of his week-to-week on Tour, and realising he doesn't need to over-practice and focus on anything else other than himself and his own game.

“I feel like I gained a lot of experience playing in my first major last year at the U.S. Open,” said Paul.

“I try to see it as a normal event, I don’t try to have a special emphasis on anything.

“I want to focus on myself. That’s what I learnt last year. It was my first Major and I wanted to do maybe a touch more than I usually do, and just feel like I prepared a little more but that didn’t really work for me. I feel like I need to stick to what works for me and not over practice leading into the event.

“The game is in a good spot. My game has definitely got to a different level, so I’m confident that if I focus on myself I can get in contention.”

Paul will get his US PGA Championship campaign under way alongside European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald and Poland's Adrian Meronk at 1.44pm (BST).