The LIV Golf player has admitted to Sports Illustrated he’ll never be able to live down his controversial comment on The Masters course of four years ago
Bryson DeChambeau enters the new LIV Golf season on the back of a hugely successful 2023 campaign where he led his Crushers GC to victory at the Team Championship and won two individual titles along the way.
One of those wins, at LIV Golf Greenbrier, even included a historic 58. However, almost as well known is a comment he made four years ago about Augusta National. Back then, the big-hitter said to the Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis of the par 72 Masters course: “I’m looking at it as a par 67.”
That remark may not have come back to haunt him if his performances at the famous course since had lived up to expectations. However, despite one 67, which came in the second round of the 2021 edition, he has largely failed to impress at the Major.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig, DeChambeau has revealed he’s taking steps to put that right, although he admitted he will never live down his comment before the 2020 tournament. He said: “Everybody gives me c*** about that. I’ll forever have that. I own it.”
Even so, DeChambeau is taking the upcoming Major seriously, and Harig reports that he visited Augusta National early in January to test out his new equipment.
The 2020 US Open champion said: “It was about getting comfortable with the equipment that I have at the golf course. And seeing the nuances. The different changes. I personally love Augusta. I’ve got great respect for Augusta. I know how difficult it is.”
He also admitted that, aside from a T21 eight years ago, he’s never brought his best game to the event. “I’ve never had my ‘A’ game there beside the first few rounds at Augusta in 2016,” he explained. “Not really even had my ‘B-plus’ game to be honest. At times I’ve had my ‘B’ game. I shot 6 under there the first round in 2019. I led. There have been times.”
DeChambeau, who revealed a driver change to the Krank Golf Formula Fire driver for his remarkable LIV Golf Greenbrier performance, then returned to his controversial comment on Augusta National, and also revealed his new driver could be the key to a change of fortunes this year.
He added: “People will talk about that all the time. Which is OK. It’s a second-shot golf course. But you have to be able to put it in play. And I haven’t been able to put it in play like I know I can. So I feel like this driver has opened a lot of doors for me at this golf course.”
Before DeChambeau gets the chance to do that at this year’s event, he again leads Crushers GC in the LIV Golf League, which gets underway on 2 February at LIV Golf Mayakoba.
