Bryson DeChambeau lights up Masters with opening round 65

DeChambeau birdied five of his last seven holes, including the iconic back-t0-back of the par-3 12th and par-5 13th in Amen Corner. His lone slip-up was a bogey on the par-4 ninth.

DeChambeau made headlines in 2020 when he called Augusta National Golf Club a “par 67” for a distance driver like himself. Since those comments, DeChambeau has finished T34, T46, and missed the cut at the Masters. The 30-year-old’s best career finish at Augusta is a T29, in 2019.

In six career Masters starts, DeChambeau has an average round score of one-over par (73). The 65 marks his best round at the year’s first major.

When he made those questionable remarks, DeChambeau was amid an extended, experimental phase in which he aggressively bulked up to juice his distance. Augusta, by design, tends to reward variety over power.

On Thursday, a slimmer DeChambeau deployed a deep bag and relied on “a lot of patience … especially out here on this golf course where you feel like it’s gettable.”

“It’s right in front of you,” he said. “But it’s tricky out here. It’s super tricky. Making sure that you play aggressively, but in a safe manner where it’s not going to get you into too much trouble. As my game has progressed, I try to be a little bit smarter on the golf course, and not try to go for broke.”

DeChambeau seemingly entered the 2024 Masters in a positive place. He’s de-emphasized muscle mass (and self-promotion) — though still leads LIV in driving distance (and eagles).

“You’ve got to place it around here,” a cheery DeChambeau said in a post-round interview. “People think you can just bomb it, but you’ve got to put it in the right spots.”

DeChambeau’s Crushers GC team leads the LIV Golf standings after five 2024 events. Bryson is seventh in the individual points race.

“I’m in a place now where I’ve figured some stuff out with my golf game, golf swing,” he said Thursday after his sterling round. “I’m just in a comfortable place where I’m doing the same thing every week.”

DeChambeau is one of 13 LIV Golf League members in the 89-person Masters field.

DeChambeau, Gary Woodland, and Thorbjorn Olesen were among the earliest groups to tee off on Thursday morning (following a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay). The trio is scheduled to begin their second round at 11:54 a.m. ET on Friday.

At time of writing, a crowded leaderboard is hot on Bryson’s tail. Beyond Scheffler (-6), 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett, Matthieu Pavon, Ryan Fox, and the always-dangerous Will Zalatoris are among the names in pursuit of DeChambeau.

“Winning at Winged Foot helped me understand how to win big tournaments,” DeChambeau said.