Bryson DeChambeau ready to rewrite Masters records as he sets himself par of 67

[ASFN Admin]

Bryson DeChambeau expects to shatter Tiger Woods’s Masters scoring record here this week. That much is obvious after the US Open champion declared that his par at Augusta is 67 and not the official 72, as on the scorecard. What the green jackets will think about a beefed-up upstart reducing the status of their pride and joy is a moot point, but if DeChambeau, 27, is true to his statement and does go around in what he believes is merely his standard five under par each day then that adds up to 20 under. And with Woods and Jordan Spieth sharing Augusta’s 72-hole record of 18 under (270 shots, set in 1997 and 2015 respectively), so DeChambeau would bludgeon his way into history. That is the theory, at least. Of course, the Californian from the inappropriately named town of Modesto is rather fond of theorising. Never mind your usual golf pro who harks on about “staying in the moment” and “not getting ahead of myself”, DeChambeau cannot help but see the big picture as he targets world domination with his one-man revolution. Here is a character who recently said: “My goal is to live until I am 130 or 140.” Once you have made a prediction of such grandeur, sizing up a sports field, regardless how famous and hallowed, would not seem particularly overconfident. “I’m looking at it as a par 67 for me because I can reach all the par-fives in two, no problem,” DeChambeau said. “If the conditions stay the way they are, that’s what I feel like par is for me.” With four par-fives featuring on Alister MacKenzie’s masterpiece, that plainly leaves DeChambeau expecting a birdie on another hole, but having hit a three-wood over the back of the 350-yard third, perhaps it is easy to spot where. “That’s not me being big-headed,” DeChambeau said, before acknowledging that his best Masters in his three attempts was a tie for 21st when still an amateur in 2016. “I can hit it as far as I want to, but it comes down to putting and chipping out here. That is one of the things I think people sometimes struggle to see. As much as I can gain an advantage off the tee, I still have to putt it well and chip it well and wedge it well, and that’s what I did at the US Open.” DeChambeau won by six at Winged Foot and there is no doubt that his superlative form on and around the greens was drowned out by those supersonic booms off the tee. But DeChambeau himself was as much to blame as anyone for this underestimation of the full package. In the aftermath, promising as he left New York State to put on even more brawn for his Georgia challenge, he vowed to hit a 400-yard drive on the fly (he succeeded with a 403-yard howitzer in practice) and threatened to go to the maximum-length club shaft in the rule book and employ a 48-inch monster here (he still might). DeChambeau is undoubtedly brash, but believes his approach is finally being embraced. “I do think that is a fact,” he said. “People are starting to see that no matter what I do, it’s always to try to get better. They are starting to understand that it’s not just about me being quirky, but it’s about the process of trying to be better each and every day. That’s what hopefully can inspire a lot of people.” Maybe it can, but DeChambeau is deluded if he cannot see that there are many rooting against him this week. They can probably be split into two groups – the purists and those who simply detest a braggart. “The attention I’ve gained has been awesome – I love it,” DeChambeau said. “I’m going to give it my all here. If I don’t play well, I miss the cut, I’m going to be gracious and walk off and go, ‘you know what, I’ve still had a great year’, and try to come back better next year.”

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