Bryson DeChambeau finishes with a 6-over score at the Masters, 2 strokes below the cut line.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The “Mad Scientist” will need to return to his lab to devise a strategy for escaping the extensive bunkers at Augusta National Golf Club.
Needing just a bogey on the 18th hole to qualify for the weekend in the 90th Masters on Friday, LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau encountered difficulties, recording a triple-bogey 7 that resulted in a 36-hole total of 6-over 150, two strokes shy of the cut line.
DeChambeau did not address the media following his round.
The two-time U.S. Open champion reached the 18th tee at 3 over after achieving four birdies and three bogeys during the second round. He had posted a 4-over 76 in the opening round.
DeChambeau’s 287-yard drive veered into the trees on the right side. His ball settled beneath a large magnolia tree. He managed to punch his ball down the fairway, but it rolled into a greenside bunker on the left.
At that point, DeChambeau’s difficulties escalated. His third shot from the back of the bunker failed to clear the lip, causing the ball to roll back to his feet. He successfully escaped the sand on his fourth shot, but the ball rolled back down the green and onto the fairway.
On his fifth shot, DeChambeau chipped 12 feet past the hole. He missed the double-bogey putt when his ball stopped about a foot from the hole, extinguishing his chances of making the cut.
The 32-year-old was coming off consecutive top-10 finishes in the Masters, including a tie for fifth last year, when he played in the final group of the last round alongside winner Rory McIlroy.
DeChambeau had advanced through playoffs in his previous two LIV Golf League events, defeating Richard T. Lee in Singapore and Jon Rahm in South Africa.
This made him a favored choice to secure his first green jacket, but DeChambeau was never in contention.
In the first round on Thursday, he required three attempts to escape a greenside bunker on the 11th hole, resulting in a triple-bogey 7.
Other notable players who did not make the 36-hole cut included two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson (5 over), reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun (5 over), former Masters champion Zach Johnson (6 over), and Akshay Bhatia (6 over).
Robert MacIntyre (7 over), Cameron Smith (7 over), and Min Woo Lee (11 over) will also not compete over the weekend at Augusta National.
