Bryson DeChambeau could not asked for a better start to an eighth Masters appearance when he emerged from a two-and-a-half hour rain delay to the start of play to birdie his opening three holes.
DeChambeau, 30, did bogey his ninth hole but it would be his only blemish in the very testing bright but extremely windy conditions, birdieing 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17 for a superb seven-under 65.
The former US Open champ headed to the clubhouse leading by three shots and it was not till 6.25pm local time when World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler birdied the last in a six-under 66.
The LIV Golf star’s opening day effort makes a mockery of his opening day scores in contesting both the ’23 and ’22 Masters when he signed for respective scores of 74 and 76, on route to missing the halfway cut.
Bravo @b_dechambeau leader after day one @TheMasters https://t.co/XSSFVcQJwB
— Golf & Science News (@TOURMISS) April 11, 2024
Though he’s brilliantly turned around his opening day Augusta fortunes not only with DeChambeau’s lowest score in eighth Masters’ but also a best score in this his 29th career major championship showings since his debut at the game’s highest level at the 2015 US Open.
“I felt like I placed my golf ball in the right place today. I didn’t put myself into too many poor spots,” DeChambeau said from Butler Cabin after his round.
“For the most part, I rolled it well, drove it well, hit my irons pretty well and took advantage when the opportunity presented itself.”
By day’s end, DeChambeau had also almost doubled up the field in strokes gained tee-to-green. He also leads the field in strokes gained putting with an absurd 3.60 shots.
And that was no more evident than on the 17th when DeChambeau even surprised himself in holing a lengthy birdie putt that took him to seven-under and a then cosy three-shot lead.
“It’s more just getting older,” he said. “You know, I’m 30 now, and I’m not old, I still feel like I’m a youngster, but it’s definitely taken time to get comfortable and getting to a place where, you know what, no matter what happens today, I’m okay.
“I have a great life outside of the game of golf. My friends are still going to be my friends and the people that love me the most are still going to love me. And focusing on playing a fun game.
“You know, taking that perspective has definitely enlightened me a little bit and allowed me to play a little more free”.
Below is DeChambeau’s complete list of leaderboard finishes through his seven appearances at the Masters:
- 2016: T-21st (293)
- 2018: T-38th (281)
- 2019: T-29th (284)
- 2020: T-34th (286)
- 2021: T-46th (293)
- 2022: Missed Cut (156)
- 2023: Missed Cut (148)
