Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau searches for his ball during the first round of the 2020 Masters.
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
  • Bryson DeChambeau came into the Masters looking to overpower Augusta National.
  • Augusta National had other plans, leaving DeChambeau scrambling with two sevens on his scorecard over his first two rounds.
  • Despite his struggles, DeChambeau was able to execute his plan at other points on the course.
  • DeChambeau has changed the game of golf, but Augusta National proved that his newfound power still doesn’t mean an easy path to the green jacket.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Bryson DeChambeau entered the Masters as the favorite to take home the green jacket, and with good reason.

After transforming his body over quarantine and coming out the other side hitting drives farther than any other player in golf, DeChambeau had been dominant on the PGA Tour heading into the tournament, including winning his first major at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot back in September.

DeChambeau wasn’t shy about his plan to overpower Augusta National. While the course plays as a par 72, DeChambeau saw the course much differently.

“I’m looking at it as a par 67 for me because I can reach all the par-fives in two, no problem,” DeChambeau said before the tournament. “If the conditions stay the way they are, that’s what I feel like par is for me.”

But as his first two rounds proved, Augusta National was ready to put up a fight.

On Thursday, DeChambeau started on the back nine and was quickly forced to scramble. His biggest challenge of the day came on the first par 5 he faced at No. 13. DeChambeau expected to reach the green in two without issue, by his own words. However, after a wayward drive into the pine needles and a second shot that went long into the bushes past the green, he was left searching for his ball.

Bryson was forced to take a penalty stroke and a drop and ultimately wound up making a double bogey on the hole.

Augusta National 1, DeChambeau 0.

But Bryson would fight back through the rest of the first round, with five birdies and just one bogey through his next 14 holes to finish at two-under. To his credit, DeChambeau's finish on Thursday was proof that his theory of taking on Augusta National could work — he never really found his rhythm and played an extremely uneven round, and still found himself two strokes under par at one of the toughest courses in all of golf.

DeChambeau seemed set for a solid second round but once again found disaster early, and his day quickly spiraled out of control from there.

On the par 4, No. 3, DeChambeau hit a bombing drive that found the second cut on the left side of the fairway. Normally, such a shot wouldn't be an issue, but the grass swallowed up DeChambeau's ball in the wet conditions. No one could find it, and Bryson was forced to take a lost ball penalty and head back to the tee box.

In any other year, patrons in attendance would have been well aware of DeChambeau's shot. Still, without the watching eyes of fans in attendance, Bryson had to accept an early seven on the scorecard once again, leaving the hole with a triple bogey.

DeChambeau struggled to settle down from there, posting four bogeys and three birdies over his next nine holes in a roller-coaster round.

When play was called due to darkness on Friday, DeChambeau was sitting at +1 on the tournament, with work still left to do over his final six holes of the second round to ensure he made the cut.

Like in the first round, DeChambeau's plan to overpower the course had its moments — if not for stealing the three birdies he did during his tailspin, he'd already be out of the tournament.

Still, after nearly two rounds of golf, it's clear that hubris might have gotten the better of DeChambeau to start the weekend, even if he does make the cut.

Augusta National is not a beast to be beaten into submission. It is a challenge to be met.

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