Bryson DeChambeau gives update on his wedge play which looks encouraging ahead of The Masters

Bryson DeChambeau says his wedge game is improving ahead of The Masters

Early signs from South Africa are that DeChambeau has found something with his wedges. That’s a scary sign for the rest of the field at Augusta National. 

The two-time US Open winner said, “Today was an improvement. Last week was an improvement with the wedges, and sometimes it’s just trying anything and everything to find that 1%. Like Anthony Kim talks about, getting 1% better every day.

“After Hong Kong I said, ‘I have to throw all my wedges away and let’s try it again. Let’s start from scratch.’ So I started from scratch.

“I went to short wedges with a steel shaft and a lot of bounce, no bounce, different groove textures in the face, and ultimately just — it went quick because the testing process should not be a long process.

“It should be one or two golf balls, that didn’t work or that did work, and you move on to the next one, and then you start to wean it down to the last few and all of a sudden you’re like this one is outshining everything. That’s what I’ve done with the driver.

“Long story short, to say I felt something a lot better in Singapore, and then I’ve just worked on it, and it’s gotten a little bit better, and hopefully that continues to permeate for the next three rounds.”

DeChambeau holed out with his wedge on the final hole of the first round to thrust himself into the lead. And he saw something different with his wedge when he hit that shot:

“That’s my goal is just to get a little bit better, and I feel like I’ve gotten better, and it was fun to hit that last shot, hold the finish, like wow, that looks like a normal flighted wedge, not something that’s shooting 20 yards over the green.

“I feel like I can control the speed really well just like I do on my putts, but for whatever reason the interaction between the face has always mystified me. I feel like I’ve gotten a little more control this week.”

How the golf course at LIV South Africa is helping Bryson DeChambeau’s Masters preparation

The Masters are just two weeks away, and while DeChambeau is trying to win in South Africa, Augusta National is the ultimate goal. Everything he does is in preparation for the year’s first major, and the golf course at Steyn City replicates the conditions.

DeChambeau explained, “Funny enough, I think the greens, because they’re a little soft, they can wobble on the greens, so really getting down on the greens and seeing how it’s going to move is important.

“When you’re thinking about Augusta, sometimes that happens out there. Being able to read it with a good due diligence on that and focus on that.

“I think my wedges, as well, it’s worked on my wedges and my strike, how precise you have to be on the strike out here in this grass. Then I also think a little bit of wind, the softness of the wind, how it’s playing is important, and then a lot of half shots.

“There’s a lot of half shots at the Masters, so getting ready for that. It’s a really good test out here for us, people that are playing in the Masters.”

If his wedge game is well and truly locked in, then it will be difficult to look past DeChambeau at the Masters.