Bryson DeChambeau, known for his powerful drives, found himself in hot water at the Masters, but not before a humorous start. On Wednesday, he humorously remarked that his celebrity caddie for the Masters par-three contest, comedian Kevin Hart, had ‘one shot and fumbled.’ Unfortunately, by the second round’s closure, that statement could have applied to DeChambeau’s own performance.
From the outset, DeChambeau’s chances for the prestigious green jacket seemed slim. While he did have a glimmer of hope to make the cut after the first round at Augusta, that hope quickly vanished. His attempt didn’t just falter, it completely unraveled.
Initially, there was a possibility that DeChambeau could narrowly make it to the weekend. However, a dramatic collapse on the final hole ensured his early exit from the tournament.
Coming into the Masters, DeChambeau was one of the favorites among bettors, especially given the anticipated rivalry with Rory McIlroy. This year’s tournament at Augusta National was expected to be another thrilling chapter in their ongoing competition.
But by Friday evening, the leaderboard painted a starkly different picture. McIlroy was in a commanding position, leading as the weekend loomed, eyeing another green jacket. In contrast, DeChambeau’s journey ended in a rather spectacular fashion, leaving him out of contention.
DeChambeau’s threat to the North Irishman’s title defense was timid at best, atrocious at worst. He finished six-over, missing the cut.
Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut following the second round of the Masters tournament
The American finished six-over for the tournament after a meltdown at the 18th
Admittedly, he had been better off praying for a miracle on Friday, rather than launching an attack on McIlroy’s lead. Following Thursday’s opening four-over 76, he faced an uphill battle to make the cut. He needed a miracle. Instead, he received another meltdown.
On Thursday, his round unraveled when he twice failed to get out of the sand at Amen Corner. That ended in a costly triple bogey and 24 hours later he suffered the same miserable fate.
Like Thursday’s capitulation, a bunker proved to be DeChambeau’s downfall. His hacked approach shot from the pine straw on 18 found sand and from there the carnage began.
He failed to hack it out of the steep-faced left greenside bunker on the first attempt. And his second was far from a recovery. While he managed to at least scoop it our of the sand this time, his ball landed on the front of the green and trundled all the way down to the fringe.
By the time the ball finally disappeared into the cup and he was put out of his misery, DeChambeau had carded a triple bogey and his Masters had come to a sudden end.
In fairness, DeChambeau did appear to have been handed a saving grace. A birdie at the par-five 15th clawed him back to three-over and just inside the cut line. It should have been an eagle. It needed to be an eagle. But his putt down the hill drifted right of the hole and he had to settle for the birdie.
Yet, even that would not have been enough to negate the damage that unfolded at the last.
Perhaps if he had spent less time joking around with Hart, rubbing shoulders with First Granddaughter Kai Trump and manufacturing his own 3D-printed five-iron, and more time practicing his sand saves, DeChambeau may be seeing a Masters weekend.
The LIV Golf star failed to get out of the greenside bunker at the 18th on the first attempt
DeChambeau had been set to sneak into the weekend before his spetacular metldown
Rory McIlroy set a new record for the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history
Or perhaps it was the age-old LIV Golf factor that once again called his green jacket credentials into question. DeChambeau wasn’t alone in his calamity. The Saudi-backed breakaway’s cohort struggled over the first round. Many failed to redeem themselves.
To add insult to injury? Recent LIV deserters Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed had no issues navigating the treachery of a crips and fast Augusta National.
Reed had admitted this week that his abrupt LIV exit in January was due to wanting ‘that adrenaline back.’ Through the first two rounds, he undeniably rediscovered that thrill.
The American soared into the hunting pack in his LIV liberation with another three-under 69 on Friday.
Meanwhile, Koepka also produced a valiant 69 to claw his way to three-under for the tournament, leaving him tied-13 heading into moving day.
However, neither could match McIlroy. With a birdie at the last, the reigning champion set a new record for the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.
The Masters has made a mockery of DeChambeau and McIlroy’s rivalry.
