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Bryson DeChambeau has apologised for any offence he may have caused for his comments about Augusta National - Reuters/Mike Segar
Bryson DeChambeau laughs when he is asked if he would prefer an extra 5 million followers on social media – or to win another major.
“What a question,” he says. “No, I’d definitely take a third major. But, hang on, if you are offering me 50 million…”
The American stresses he is joking and points out “my words can get me into trouble”. Yet, interestingly, he believes not as much trouble as numbers. “Yeah, statistics honestly do. It’s because I put so much weight and importance on them. I’m a numbers guy and they sometimes have landed me in it.”
The Masters 2020 was a headcase in point and as he prepares for his ninth shot at a green jacket, he has changed his tune on his infamous “Augusta is a par 67 for me” comment.
“I’ve always since said I don’t regret saying that 67 thing, because I learnt from that experience and it made me a better person. But do I wish I hadn’t said it? I do. Really, I do. Because it impacted some people negatively and I don’t want that, no matter how much of a benefit it might have been to me maturing.
“I can see that it was disrespectful to some and I’m sorry for that. Boy, it was a humbling experience. But for me it was simply from a statistical viewpoint and yardages and looking at, if I’m playing well, I could or should be hitting the greens in two or whatever.
“It was motivation for myself and not intended as anything otherwise. I’ve never disrespected Augusta internally. It’s the one I want to win. I stand there on the range and hit shots into the sun as it’s going down and I think to myself, ‘this is heaven, imagine being a part of this history’. And I think I will one day, because I have to think that. If I do, and when I do, it will be the proudest moment of my career.”
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DeChambeau says playing shots into the sun at Augusta is ‘heaven’ and winning there would make him most proud - Getty Images/Patrick Smith
Until 12 months ago, the image of DeChambeau squeezing into that cherished garment in the Butler Cabin seemed unlikely, if not unfeasible. After all, as The Incredible Bulk, that blaze of green would surely be seen when he ripped off his shirt, not when it was donned upon his shoulders.
In the three Masters following “67gate” – as, thankfully, it is not known – he finished in a tie for 46th and missed two successive cuts and his best performance remained a tie for 21st as leading amateur in 2016. The merest sniff of those Georgian pines seemed to bring out the Mr Hyde in The Mad Scientist.
However, last year, he fashioned upon what approached the magical mix, shooting an opening 65 (or two-under as they brutally called it) and leading through two rounds, before tying for sixth.
“It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in golf. I have no problem in saying that 100 per cent I believed I could win when I went out with the lead on the Saturday. I even thought I would win. And if a few things had gone my way, then who knows? I knew I could play the course, but this was a bit of proof.”
The drastic improvement led him to a runner-up spot at the next month’s USPGA and then, five weeks after, a second US Open victory, when he capitalised on Rory McIlroy’s errors down the Pinehurst stretch, courtesy of one of the all-time great bunker shots on the 18th. Augusta had inspired not only a transformation in his major form, but also confirmed the metamorphosis of his reputation.
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DeChambeau celebrates after sinking the winning putt to win his second US Open at Pinehurst - Getty Images/Jared C. Tilton
Thanks to his YouTube channel, shall we say that the younger element had been drawn away from the previously perceived brashness and was instead captivated by the natural side to this quirky, affable character. The Masters merely provided the stage to transmit this revision to the world at large.
DeChambeau has a quick and very clever mind and sees the similarities between the path he discovered to crack Augusta – and the route to manage his public persona.
“I’m not patient by nature. My manager will assure you of that. I definitely like to push the envelope – because I care. It’s not happening for any other reason than wanting to be better, wanting to improve. But I think with that comes a balancing of understanding that sometimes the more you push, the more people fight back. And that applies to Augusta, right?
“In both, I’ve kind of learnt that balance is really important, knowing when to push, knowing when to hold back. And that intrigues me.
“Over the last few years, I’ve learnt plenty about patience. It’ll always be my instinct to go pedal to the metal, because that’s what inspires, what gets me up in the morning. But maturity is about knowing when to say, ‘whoa, hold on. What are you doing here? What do you want from this?’ I guess I’ve found out where the brake is.”
DeChambeau is nothing without the accelerator, however, and it remains his mission to boldly speed to uncharted areas where others will soon follow. In 2024, he arrived at Augusta with the first set of 3D-printed irons ever used in elite competition and he had intended to turn up this year with another piece of space-age weaponry.
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Last year DeChambeau arrived at Augusta with the first set of 3D-printed irons ever used in elite competition – and came sixth - Getty Images/Andrew Redington
“We’ve been working on this new driver and it will be the most technological advance since interchangeable shafts. I came up with this, it’s my baby and together with LA Golf I’ve done loads of the design and it will be huge throughout the game.
“My first thoughts about this was in 2018, maybe 2019, and it changed my career. It is complex but to do with the curvature of the driver clubface and I’ve been on that journey. This is a major improvement and a big step forwards.
“There have been so many ‘Eureka!’ moments over the last year and I so wanted it to be ready for Augusta. But no, it’s that word ‘patience’ again, and it needs some more work. I can’t tell you how excited I am about it.”
In layman’s terms, the design will significantly reduce side spin and ensure the mishits do not go so awry. This could be a fix for all and not only those who swing at speeds at which Elon Musk would blush.
“Bryson’s big idea to make the curve of the face proportionate to swing speed is cutting side spin off the toe and heel almost in half, essentially turning your slice into a fade and hook into a draw,” says Reed Dickens, the chief executive of LA Golf. “And the exciting part is that it works for all swing speeds.”
In other words, the terrible hackers will benefit as much as those expert whackers, and it is, indeed, a potential revolution that led Golf Monthly, the world’s oldest golf magazine, to run a headline asking: “Has Bryson DeChambeau Just Cured Your Slice?”
God might have to look out if he has.
Too straight for Augusta
Yet what good comes for the creator? Regardless of the whisper that his new version of “The Kraken” could have a loft as low as four degrees - think cake knife - DeChambeau, on his day, knows how to hit it straight and very, very long and he acknowledges that at Augusta it is the subtleties he must master.
In dismissing the Californian’s chances last week, Brandel Chamblee – the former Tour winner turned Golf Channel expert and resident opponent of LIV – referred to him as being “woefully off his game” - although he has since finished fifth at LIV Miami on Sunday after leading going into the final round - and claimed that the layout “is not a great fit for Bryson”.
“His in-to-out move is not ideal for a lot of the hanging lies or the hook lies that you get there,” Chamblee added. “He’s a heck of a player, but generally speaking he’s too linear, and that golf course is too abstract.”
DeChambeau rolls his eyes because he has heard all this before. He is understandably baffled. On one hand, he is accused of being too one-dimensional. On the other, he clearly has an imagination that, unlike any of his peers, allows him to design his own clubs and push against the boundaries perhaps more than any golfer alive. Which is he, robot or revolutionary?
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A self-confessed stats junkie, DeChambeau has been accused of trusting more in numbers than his feel for the game - Getty Images/Tim Nwachukwu
It is this paradox that maybe he cannot ever solve, yet he is prepared to acknowledge the weaknesses in his psyche and, yes, in his game.
“It is all numbers with me but there is a ‘feel’ guy in there and I need to give him his head more in certain occasions and I think last year that happened in the majors. As to my form, it’s very ‘meh’, but it does not seem too far away. It is certainly not terrible and I’m not panicking.
“I’m busy grinding away and the two frontiers for me are my wedge game and, mainly as far as the Open is concerned, controlling my ball in the wind. I am getting there and if I ever do get there with those two aspects then, wow, I’m going to have a spectacular career.”
The fireworks will not just be confined to professional golf. DeChambeau is only 31 and has already reinvented himself a few times – from The Mad Scientist who was comically nerdy, to packing on the pounds for ball speed with The Incredible Bulk – and he is ready for a new iteration.
“It will be ‘Businessman Bryson’, I think, using my platforms to grow the game, whether it be in the innovative golf-club design, which I love, and the design of courses and driving ranges and whatever.
“I can’t tell you how many ideas I have and sorry, I can’t tell you what goes through my mind at night. It doesn’t stop. I’ll have to delegate with all this because I’m not leaving this sport anytime soon. I have so much to achieve that will help me achieve what I want.
“I’ve learnt that winning isn’t everything, it’s what you do with it that counts. I played in India this year and it opened my eyes. So much opportunity out there to spread the word about this sport and all of its positive traits.”
With that thought, would a Masters title thrust his global ambition? “It would do, no doubt about it, and that is the goal for next week. It would certainly mean a lot more to me than just coming first in a golf tournament.” No disrespect intended, of course.
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