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The Masters: Why Bryson DeChambeau’s Demise Pleases Some People

By Tim Letcher

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 13: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States rides in a cart with a rules official after playing his second tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 13, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 13: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States rides in a cart with a rules official after playing his second tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 13, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Bryson DeChambeau decided to take a different approach to the Masters this year. And his brashness rubbed some people the wrong way.

Being confident is important. But being confident and not cocky is a fine line, as Bryson DeChambeau is finding out this week at the Masters.

Prior to the 2020 Masters, DeChambeau told the media that he was considering Augusta National to be a par 67 because he could easily reach the par fives and perhaps even a par four. His goal was to play to that number and hope for the best.

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In round one, DeChambeau cost himself with a double bogey on the par-5 13th hole, where he should easily be able to make birdie. He also made a bogey on the seventh hole to go with five birdies. That left him with a round of 70. That’s 2-under par for the tournament but 3-over in DeChambeau’s mind.

His second round got off to a decent start with a par on the first and a birdie on the second. But he then ran into trouble again.

On the third hole, DeChambeau hit a booming drive to the left and into the rough. Or so it appeared. DeChambeau tried to locate the ball, along with help from playing partners Louis Oosthuizen and Jon Rahm but he never found it. That meant that DeChambeau had to take a lost ball penalty and return to the tee, where he was hitting three.

That turned out to be the turning point in his round. On the third, he would go on to make a triple-bogey seven. That moved him to 2-over on the day and even par for the championship.

And that seemed to have a lasting effect on his round.

DeChambeau would bogey the fourth. Then the fifth. Suddenly, he was 2-over for the event.

He did bounce back with a birdie at the par-3 sixth hole but immediately gave it back with a bogey on the seventh. He would birdie the eighth and par the ninth to shoot a 3-over par 39 on the front nine. Or whatever that equates to in DeChambeau par.

The back side started with a bogey on the 10th hole, dropping DeChambeau back to 2-over for the event. He would par the 11th and birdie the 12th before the round was called due to darkness.

For DeChambeau, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is, he will start Saturday morning with an eagle putt on the 13th green. He also has the par-5 15th hole to play. So the odds are that he can make up enough ground on Saturday morning to play later on Saturday in the third round.

dark. Next. The Masters 2020: Top 10 Potential First-Time Winners

The bad news is, when he takes the course Saturday morning, he will be 10 shots off the lead, which is held by four players. He’s got a lot of ground to make up and not much time to do it.

Perhaps DeChambeau was just being confident prior to the event but it came across as cocky. That’s why many people are enjoying his struggles this week.

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