AUGUSTA, Ga. – When he showed up here in 2020, smack in the middle of his seven-protein-shakes-a-day era, Bryson DeChambeau had the audacity to say out loud that his length off the tee and the reachability of the par-5s made him view Augusta National as a par-67 golf course.
And as this place tends to do to those who don’t show it the proper respect, it smacked DeChambeau right in the face: Tied for 34th that year, tied for 46th the following April before missed cuts in 2022 and 2023. Augusta National will simply not tolerate anyone thinking the course is that easy.
But as DeChambeau’s audacity and thirst to put himself in the middle of controversy has receded – not just here, but in general – it seems his relationship with the Masters has advanced beyond a détente. Has he finally figured this place out?
After finishing tied for sixth last year, by far his best finish in this event, DeChambeau enters the weekend just one shot back of leader Justin Rose after shooting 69-68. At 31, he’s never had a better opportunity to win a Masters.
“Not getting too far ahead of yourself is important, and that’s something that you have to learn over the course of time with a lot of experience,” he said. “You have to put yourself in position. You have to fail. You have to lose. You have to win. You have to come from behind. You have to hold the lead. All those expectations and feelings have to get conquered in your mind. That’s why this game is played between your ears.”
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DeChambeau won his first U.S. Open in 2020 by simply overpowering Winged Foot with length off the tee, almost making the place look like an antiquated championship test.
But while most of the premiere players who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf have seen their games deteriorate to varying degrees, DeChambeau has become a far better and more complete player while also rehabilitating his lightning rod public persona.
Back then, it would have been hard to imagine Augusta galleries embracing DeChambeau. But after his second US Open title last year, his stardom on YouTube doing trick shots and playing with celebrities and just generally being more considerate and likeable, he will have a ton of support this weekend as he tries to add a third major to his résumé.
“Even when I was in my trying times, I feel like there was still a lot of support,” DeChambeau said. “Now it just feels like a bolster of energy everywhere. It’s quite different, and it’s a lot of fun.”
One good Masters could be a fluke. But two in a row feels like turning a corner in his career, especially because this is a course where you really can’t just go for it all the time no matter what. Yeah, hitting the ball a long way is a big advantage because you will have shorter irons into the par-5s and more manageable approaches on the par-4s. But if you put the ball in the wrong spots around here, distance doesn’t really matter.
That’s why, during a pre-tournament conference call with the media, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said he didn’t think Augusta was going to be a great long-term fit for the way he approaches the game.
“His big miss there is fine for the way they set up the U.S. Open golf courses these days, but it gets him in trouble at Augusta National,” Chamblee said. “There are some places there you just can’t miss it big. His in-to-out move is not ideal for a lot of the hanging lies or hook lies there that you get. He’s a heck of a player. He’s capable of playing some great golf there under the right conditions, but generally speaking he’s too linear and that golf course is too abstract.”
That analysis isn’t necessarily wrong based on history, but the thing about DeChambeau is that he’s never a finished product. He’s constantly tinkering with his equipment and spending hours on the range searching for a very specific feel in his golf swing, to the point where he said Friday, “I’ve got a lot going on up there (in my brain). You wouldn’t want to be in there.”
But his Augusta National experiences, good and bad, have knocked the idea out of his head that he can just mark at least four birdies on the scorecard when he starts every round because of how he can play the par-5s. Instead, it seems he’s learning to become a bit more of a pitcher than a thrower here because that’s what the course requires.
For instance, on the 350-yard third hole, most players will try to hit it as far as they can down into a little valley to the left of the green and leave themselves a short chip up the hill to try and get a birdie putt. DeChambeau, of course, wanted to pull the driver there. But with the way the wind was blowing Friday, DeChambeau felt he’d have a better chance of getting the right spin on the ball and making birdie if he laid up and hit a longer approach.
Though he didn’t quite execute the shot and settled for par, it was an example of how he’s thinking differently about what question Augusta National is asking on a specific day with pin placements and conditions.
“I felt like that was something I’ve learned over the course of my career, and I’ll continue to learn,” he said. “Just going through it, getting experience in different conditions, different situations for me. That’s the reason why I (laid up off the tee), and I learned from past experience, hitting it up there and having this tight 75-yard shot that I can’t really control.”
DeChambeau is still a quirky guy. He talks about having 15 to 20 swing thoughts running through his head during every practice session. He carries around different driver heads and isn’t afraid to make a change literally seconds before a round if he’s feeling something different on the range. He compares the feeling he wants with the golf club to putting topspin on a shot in ping pong.
He’s not like anybody else.
But that’s also why writing him off as a potential Masters winner may have been premature based on his history. If nothing else, DeChambeau’s eagerness to adjust and tinker until he finds something that works here has put him in incredible position to finish the job.
“Very excited for the weekend,” he said. “This is what golf is about. A lot of great names up there (on the leaderboard). I always say to win it takes a little bit of luck and a great amount of skill. I feel like my skill set is the same, if not a little better in some aspects (than last year). So I’m just going to give it my absolute best, and whatever happens, happens. And I’m okay with whatever does happen. Because ultimately it’s not everything, but it would be amazing to win.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Dan Wolken on social media @danwolken.bsky.social