Bryson DeChambeau records a triple bogey on No. 11, finishes with a score of 76 in the opening round of the Masters.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Amen Corner once again challenged Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau required three strokes to escape a greenside bunker on the 11th hole at Augusta National, and he struggled to recover from that triple bogey, finishing the first round with a score of 76 at the Masters on Thursday. He faces a significant challenge if he hopes to replicate last year’s experience of playing in the final group alongside Rory McIlroy on the last day.
“Iβm just going to take what the golf course gives me,” he stated. “I need to work on my iron play. I drove it left on several occasions.”
The highest opening round by a Masters champion was Craig Stadler’s 75 in 1982.
Last year, it was the water hazard on the 11th hole that caused problems for DeChambeau. His shot into the water resulted in a double bogey, and he was unable to keep pace with McIlroy, who ultimately triumphed over Justin Rose in a playoff.
This time, DeChambeau found himself in the bunker to the right of the green, away from the water. His initial two attempts to escape did not succeed.
“The bunker was softer than I expected,” he remarked.
It was unexpected that DeChambeau ended up in that situation, considering he had a favorable position in the fairway after his tee shot. His approach shot landed in the bunker after a couple of bounces.
“The ball traveled 12 yards further than I intended,” said DeChambeau, who managed to hit only eight greens in regulation. “I executed a good shot.”
DeChambeau entered the tournament with momentum, having won the last two LIV Golf events. However, the 76 marked his poorest round in any competition since the first round of the 2025 Open Championship (78); he did recover there to finish T-10 that week.
Even after the setback at No. 11 on Thursday, he had seven holes remaining to recover, but he did not create many scoring opportunities.
He made par on the par-3 12th, the second of the three Amen Corner holes, after missing the green. Following errant drives, he did not attempt to reach the green on either of the remaining par 5s — Nos. 13 and 15. He missed the green from approximately 65 yards on 13 and about 105 on 15, managing to save par on the latter.
His round concluded with a three-putt bogey on 16, an approach to 8 feet for a birdie on 17, and then a tee shot into a bunker that resulted in a bogey on 18.
This performance will not suffice if he aims to be competitive this weekend.
“Everyone has the potential for unusual occurrences, and today I simply did not have my irons under control, which is unusual,” DeChambeau noted. “They had been performing well leading up to this.”
Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.
