The final round of the 89th Masters Tournament was something to behold. It was full of twists and turns, culminating in Rory McIlroy defeating Justin Rose in a playoff to win the Masters. But one man’s fortune is another’s misery.
Bryson DeChambeau entered the day two shots behind McIlroy. However, less than an hour into their final pairing teed off, DeChambeau found himself ahead by a stroke.
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“Great. Felt awesome, felt in control,” DeChambeau said of his mental state after taking the early lead.
That’s as good as it would get for the two-time U.S. Open champion.
DeChambeau bogeyed his next two holes to give the lead right back to McIlroy. Following a string of six straight pars, the Modesto, CA native double bogeyed the par-4 11th and bogeyed the par-3 12th to plummet down the Masters leaderboard.
Bryson DeChambeau during final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.© Michael Madrid-Imagn Images
All told, he would sign for a 3-over 75 on Sunday, good enough for a tie for fifth.
Afterward, DeChambeau placed much of the blame not on his play, but his clubs.
“For some reason I’m just not fully optimized. I get over it and I feel like I’m going to hit the heel and I try to pull across it and it just goes left on me. If I just had somewhat of good iron play this week, it would have been a lot different outcome.”
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Upon then being asked how his morning range session went, he provided even more detail.
“It just wasn’t tight, wasn’t dialed in,” said DeChambeau.
“I kept hitting the heel… You’re going to see some new equipment here very, very soon, which hopefully will optimize my game to an even greater level. Super excited about it, actually.”
While DeChambeau faltered at the Masters, his playing partner had an equally tumultuous round.
On three separate occasions, McIlroy squandered the lead. That included a bogey on 18 after a missed four-foot par putt that would have won the tournament.
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Yet, each time, the five-time major winner showed resilience and bounced back with a phenomenal golf shot.
His approach on the playoff hole against Rose was spectacular. He would make a short birdie putt to win the green jacket, and become just the sixth player ever to win the grand slam.
But all signs to DeChambeau and McIlroy having many more opportunities to play for high stakes against each other again. Maybe the outcome will be different if the LIV golfer has new equipment.
Related: Bryson DeChambeau Sends Masters Warning Shot to Rory McIlroy
