Bryson DeChambeau is typically a gym rat at the range at the best of times.
After playing well or poorly, the two-time US Open champion often hits by far the most balls at the range in order to find a slight edge over his competitors.
But after shooting an opening round 76 at The Masters, to all but dash his hopes of winning the Green Jacket before his tournament really began, DeChambeau worked furiously to recover his game.
Bryson DeChambeau hits 241 balls in the practice area after shooting 76
Unsurprisingly, DeChambeau hit more golf balls in the tournament practice area than any other player after shooting four over par for his opening round. The American hit 241 balls, 27 more than Patrick Cantlay.
He was struggling all day with his irons, hooking them left, and he set about trying to fix that ahead of a crucially important Sunday.
From wedge shots to driver, DeChambeau went up and down the bag to brute force his way through his problems. But the concern now is how much will he have left in the tank to fight back up to the cut line in his second round?
Yes, he usually goes about a major championship this way, but hitting that many balls on the range is not the sign of a happy golfer.
Why Bryson DeChambeau can still be optimistic for the rest of The Masters
There is some room for optimism left for DeChambeau as he prepares for the rest of the tournament.
At last year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, DeChambeau immediately played himself out of contention with an opening round 78. But the American showed real heart to claw himself back up the leaderboard.
A 65 on Friday meant he made the cut, and a final round 64 saw DeChambeau climb into the top 10 on Sunday.
So as the conditions get tougher this week, don’t be surprised to see DeChambeau’s name appear high up the leaderboard come Sunday.
