Bryson DeChambeau sets a daunting early target on day one of the 88th Masters.
Almost three and a half years after claiming that Augusta National was a “par 67 for me” due to his prodigious hitting, DeChambeau carded an opening 65 to hold a three-shot lead over 2016 champion Danny Willett.
DeChambeau birdied his first three holes and bounced back from his only dropped shot of the day on the ninth with a back nine of 31, which included birdies on the 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th.
Willett also birdied three of the last four holes to post a superb 68 in his first event since undergoing shoulder surgery in September, the 36-year-old only deciding on Sunday that he was ready to compete in the year’s first major.
DeChambeau’s par-67 comment came two months after he won the 2020 US Open, but left him open to ridicule after he could only manage a best score of 69 and finished 18 shots behind winner Dustin Johnson, now a fellow LIV Golf player.
“You mess up, I’m not a perfect person,” DeChambeau admitted. “You learn from your mistakes and that was definitely one.
“I shot 65 today and that was one of the best rounds I’ve played in a long time. There’s three more days to go and I’m not losing sight of that fact.
“Winning at Winged Foot helped me understand how to win big tournaments but a lot of patience is needed on this course where you think its gettable but can be super tricky.
“I’ve learned to be a little bit smarter on the course and not go for every flag, but play from the right position. I’ve made a lot of big numbers out here so taking that off the radar has been leading to some success for me.”
Pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler was ominously poised on four under par after 13 holes, with playing partner Rory McIlroy one under alongside defending champion Jon Rahm.
