A Rough Start at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Twelve months ago, Bryson DeChambeau was a frontrunner at the Masters on Sunday. However, his return to Augusta National proved significantly more difficult. Struggling to find his rhythm, DeChambeau finished the opening round of the 2026 Masters at 4-over, leaving him nine shots off the pace set by co-leaders Sam Burns and Rory McIlroy, who both carded 5-under.
Following his round, a clearly unsettled DeChambeau attempted to process the swift downturn in his performance. Addressing the media, he remarked, «Everybody has an ability for weird things to happen, and today I just did not have my irons under control, which is weird.»
The Collapse on the Back Nine
For the majority of the day, DeChambeau managed to keep his game competitive, sitting at even par through 10 holes after recovering from an early bogey on the second hole with a birdie on the third. The momentum shifted drastically at the 11th hole.
Despite a solid tee shot, his approach landed in a greenside bunker. Unable to recover quickly, he required three strokes to escape the sand, resulting in a triple bogey that severely hampered his tournament outlook. Commenting on the mistake, he noted, «Bunker was softer than I anticipated.» A final bogey on the 18th solidified his 4-over score, leaving him visibly frustrated as he headed to the scorer’s building.
The 3D-Printed Experiment
A major talking point leading up to the tournament was DeChambeau’s decision to include a 3D-printed 5-iron in his bag—a club he manufactured himself. He utilized the custom implement only once during Thursday’s round, overshooting the green on the seventh hole before recovering for par.
While the prospect of using homemade equipment at a major championship is unconventional, DeChambeau maintains that the decision is rooted in engineering and strict adherence to USGA regulations. The manufacturing process for each club requires roughly eight hours of printing, with total assembly time to meet tournament specifications taking about a day and a half.
With his second round tee time scheduled for 1:20 p.m. on Friday, DeChambeau faces a steep climb to remain in contention. While the prospect of victory appears slim this year, the golfer will need to quickly diagnose his technical errors if he hopes to secure a green jacket in the future.