No player struck more balls than Bryson DeChambeau at Augusta on the opening day of the Masters, with the hard-hitting American visibly frustrated following his disappointing early display. DeChambeau currently finds himself at T56, four-over-par after a punishing first round, carding a 76 and sitting nine shots adrift of the leaders, reigning champion Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns.
He will need a dramatic improvement on Friday to avoid an early exit. Following his difficult round, DeChambeau headed to the practice range and struck over 100 balls as he sought to iron out the flaws from his opening day, hitting more shots than any of his fellow competitors.
The 32-year-old is well aware he may need to take calculated risks and adopt an aggressive approach to claw back ground on one of golf’s most demanding courses.
DeChambeau is yet to claim a Green Jacket, with his finest showing at Augusta coming last year when he finished tied for fifth place, watching his playing partner McIlroy go on to secure his first victory.
When asked how he would tackle the second round, DeChambeau said: « Just going to give what the golf course gives me. I have to try to hit my irons better. I drove it left numerous occasions. Did a great job on 18. Wind didn’t hurt it like we thought, and that’s this game. That’s the golf course.
« You know, everybody has an ability for weird things to happen, and today I just did not have my irons under control, which is weird. It’s been good coming into it, so… »
DeChambeau had entered the tournament with short odds to claim the title. He was tied in third place in the betting market alongside defending champion McIlroy.
However, his odds have now plummeted as he battles to survive the cut on Saturday.
His torrid round was made all the worse by a triple-bogey after requiring three shots to escape the greenside bunker on the 11th hole.
Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler remains well-positioned at two-under, sitting three shots off the pace set by McIlroy and Burns at the summit, with all eyes likely to turn towards him as he looks to mount a charge on Friday.
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