At the 2024 Masters, Bryson DeChambeau fired rounds of 65-73 to hold a share of the lead at the 36-hole mark. Then, he faded in Round 3 with a 75, ultimately finishing T6.
The following month, DeChambeau finished second at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, and then, one month later, won his second major at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in June.
Despite the fact that DeChambeau has yet to win again since his U.S. Open victory, he was listed among the favorites heading into the Masters, with bettors anticipating that DeChambeau would pick up right where he left off last year. And indeed, he has. With opening rounds of 69-68, DeChambeau is only one shot behind the leader at the halfway point, Justin Rose.
But what’s in store for the remaining rounds this weekend? DeChambeau said he learned a lot from last year’s Round-3 derailment; namely, that putting is a non-negotiable key to success around Augusta. Especially from long range.
“I really took it to heart to practice my speed control because out here, it’s all about speed control, two-putting from a 40-, 50-foot place over a big mound and whatnot,” DeChambeau said said on Friday. “So I took it to heart, go practice a lot of 50-, 60-footers in the past couple months and work on my long putting and make sure I’m starting it on my line. That was a big problem I had last year in the third round was just not starting on the line, and this week I found something to help start on the line a little more consistently for me.”
What is that ‘something?’ According to DeChambeau, it was also in play for his triumph at Pinehurst.
“I had not been putting great this season. A little streaky for me. Just not starting it on my line, feeling that same pull like I did last year,” he said. “This week on the putting green, I was just really focusing on how do I start it more consistently on line. I found something for a week at Pinehurst last year, and I did really well with it. And then it kind of started to go away again.
“So I’ve been struggling with the pulls from then, and come to this week, even all the way up till this week, I was like, man, why am I pulling it? I can’t figure out why I’m pulling it,” he continued. “Tried everything in the book. And then Connor, my manager, and I were just talking about it, and he goes, ‘Why don’t you just feel like you open the face but take it down the line more and don’t let it go inside?’ Because I tried to open the face before, and it just felt weird. But once I went down the line and opened the face more straight back, straight through, it just worked. Felt like I wasn’t pulling it anymore. So sometimes it’s just one little thing.”
That “one little thing” is paying dividends for DeChambeau, who is ranked second in the field in overall putting for the first two rounds, behind only Cameron Smith.
“I’m going to keep it simple,” DeChambeau said. “I’m excited. Very excited for the weekend. This is what golf is about.”
