'Human' Byson DeChambeau bludgeons his way through back nine to make climb back towards...

[ASFN Admin]

The battle for the green jacket may ultimately elude Bryson DeChambeau once again this year. But the ongoing battle for the soul of golf remains ongoing - and as riveting as ever. After a first-round 76 on Thursday left the Californian four-over par and in danger of missing the cut, a much-improved second round yesterday ensured golf’s pantomime villain will hang around for the weekend. The way DeChambeau bludgeoned his way around the back nine, climbing steadily back into overall contention, will raise further questions as to whether he might be preparing something even bigger. The purists will be on their guard. DeChambeau’s boast last November that Augusta National was a mere “par-67” for him lit the blue touchpaper of fears that golf was going the way of power over feel and led to Augusta’s committee preparing a far tougher test for the players this week. The Schadenfreude when he bombed out of contention was palpable. And when DeChambeau faltered in the first round this week, it looked as if he was going to be served another healthy lesson in hubris rather than a meal of his choosing at the Champions Dinner. But the 27 year-old with the whacky irons and whackier attitude fought back in round two as Augusta’s far more forgiving fairways and greens allowed him to bring his power game to play. Beginning the day at four-over, DeChambeau spent most of the first few holes chuntering away to himself as he tried to get his round going. Almost, it seemed, through sheer force of personality, rather than the bludgeoning power or dispassionate, machine-like efficiency for which he is known. For someone who bangs on so much about the science of golf, who crunches numbers to within an inch of their lives and favours analytics over ‘feel’, DeChambeau is surprisingly human on the course. It is part of what makes him so fascinating. Watching him wrestle with his human frailties as he tries to prove his thesis; that the maddening game of golf can be reduced to cold hard numbers and the application of science. It’s a battle he can never win. Because the truth is, while the Californian may look like a gym bunny and swing like a robot, he is actually very human.

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