Bryson DeChambeau: ‘Should have rephrased’ Augusta ‘par-67’ remarks

LIV Golf member Bryson DeChambeau said he doesn't regret saying he saw Augusta National as a "par-67" course in 2020 while he was at the height of his game.

He did attempt to clarify that his remarks then did not mean he lacked respect for the site of the Masters, one of the most hallowed venues in golf.

"I don't think I regret anything," DeChambeau said. "What I do understand is that I have a lot of respect for the course. Because of that statement, (people) think I don't have respect for the course. Are you kidding me? This is one of the greatest golf courses in the entire world, and if anybody thinks I don't have respect for the course, they'd better go check out who I actually am because it's not accurate one bit."

DeChambeau was coming off a victory at the U.S. Open in September 2020 when the Masters was held that November, postponed from April due to COVID-19. Before the tournament, DeChambeau said, "I'm looking at it as a par-67 for me because I can reach all the par-5s in 2, no problem. If the conditions stay the way they are, that's what I feel like par is for me. That's not me being big-headed. I can hit it as far as I want to."

He finished 34th that week, placed 46th the following April and missed the cut altogether in 2022 with rounds of 76 and 80.

DeChambeau has never placed better than 21st at the Masters and, ironically, has shot just two rounds of 67 or better at Augusta.

"With the distance I'm hitting it and was hitting it, I thought there was a possibility (of shooting rounds of 67), but that's only with your ‘A' game, and I should have rephrased that," DeChambeau said Monday. "If you have your ‘A' game, there's a good chance of being able to do that."

The 2020 U.S. Open remains DeChambeau's only major title. He is searching for his first victory of any kind since the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He has yet to place better than 10th in an LIV Golf event since spurning the PGA Tour for the Saudi-funded league last season, though in his last major appearance, he tied for eighth at the Open Championship in July 2022.