AUGUSTA, Ga. – It’s early Friday afternoon, and Bryson DeChambeau has already struck 824 shots this week.
And that was just in the tournament practice area.
For the first time, the Masters has unveiled shot tracker data for the range portion of the practice area, giving fans an unprecedented look at each and every swing a player makes in preparation for the year’s first major.
It’s also offered a fascinating glimpse into DeChambeau’s curious mind.
DeChambeau’s marathon range sessions are already the stuff of legend, and now there’s concrete evidence to support his tireless work ethic – he has hit hundreds more balls than any of the other 94 competitors in the Masters field. That included a hours-long session on Tuesday in which he hit 393 balls – or the equivalent of, roughly, nine rounds of golf – in addition to a nine-hole practice round at Augusta National.
Asked to explain the method to his madness, DeChambeau smiled and pointed to his head: “Something’s not right up here, I guess.”
But all of the work has put DeChambeau in his best-ever position, one shot back, through 36 holes here at the Masters: rounds of 69-68 and a date with 36-hole leader Justin Rose in the final group Saturday.
Through two rounds, DeChambeau is coasting well above his career averages at Augusta National, where his best career finish prior to last year was a tie for 21st as an amateur. (Last year, DeChambeau opened with 65 to share the early lead before failing to break par the rest of the way and settling for joint sixth.) He has hit 11 of 14 fairways each of the past two days, all while leading the field in driving distance at 331.6 yards a pop. His 64% greens in regulation is also better than his usual marks.
The reason for his post-round grind Thursday was his approach play as he tried to reintegrate the high-soaring draw that he can usually pull off on demand. In all, he logged 210 practice shots Thursday (both pre- and post-round) as he worked on his sequencing and face angle, then enjoyed a lightbulb moment on the course Friday when he executed the shot – with an uppercut, pingpong forehand move he wants to mimic throughout the swing – on the fifth and ninth tees to perfection.
“It’s the same thing I’ve been doing for years now,” he said. “I just need to be a little bit more consistent with it.”
Thus the work.
It does raise a fascinating question, however, as Augusta National is always described by competitors as one of the most grueling physical examinations of the year. So DeChambeau – who has significantly rebuilt his body from his wiry days in college – is not just enduring the challenge of walking and playing Augusta National, but then he’s enduring even more punishment in the tournament practice area.
How does he manage that?
“For me, all that matters is being able to execute the shot the way I want to hit it,” he said. “If I don’t see it come out of a window with the right curvature, I’m going to work until I get that out and feel that my perception meets reality. If the perception and reality don’t meet up, then I keep working to match those.
“But I’ll keep going. I don’t stop. That’s why I did (the) Long Drive (circuit) as well – just put myself through a tough test, and it’s paid off in that regard from a mentality standpoint.”
DeChambeau said it’s not uncommon for him, if he’s really trying to find his game, to rifle through 15 to 20 swing thoughts in a single session – anything to make his perception meet reality.
“I’ve got a lot going on up in there,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to be in there.”
