No one on the planet is going into The Masters this year in better form than Bryson DeChambeau, with the American winning his last two events on LIV Golf.
There will be plenty of people who believe that it is DeChambeau’s time to win The Masters this week. He had previously had a complicated relationship with Augusta National.
Despite believing that he should be able to master Augusta, DeChambeau’s best finish heading into the event in 2024 was tied for 21st – when he was still an amateur.
He missed the cut in both 2022 and 2023.
Johnson Wagner predicts where Bryson DeChambeau will finish at The Masters
Those missed cuts appeared to be a turning point, however. DeChambeau finished tied for sixth in 2024 – having been at least tied for the lead after each of the first two rounds – and fifth last year.
Of course, his finish 12 months ago was a disappointment. He started Sunday two shots behind Rory McIlroy, and actually took the lead after the second hole. However, it quickly unravelled from there.
But speaking on CBS Sports, Johnson Wagner believes that watching McIlroy get across the line will have a positive impact on DeChambeau’s chances as he predicted this year’s winner.
“[Scottie Scheffler] was my pick at the beginning of the year, wish things had gone a little bit differently. I think Scottie’s always got a chance and it’s the even year thing. So he’s going to be there. Xander Schauffele is going to have a great chance to win. And I would love to see him and Scottie Scheffler both going for the US Open leg of the Career Grand Slam at the same time at Shinnecock. That would be a great story,” he said.
“But my official winner is Bryson DeChambeau. I think playing in the final group last year, watching Rory do what he did, I think Bryson learned a lot from that. He’s starting to figure this golf course out a lot better the last couple of seasons. I just think his power, as firm as this golf course is, as much as he can spin the ball coming into the greens, I think Bryson gets his first Masters victory this week.”
The big concern for Bryson DeChambeau heading into The Masters
DeChambeau is obviously going to be incredibly difficult to keep up with off the tee. According to LIV Golf‘s statistics, he is averaging 313.2 yards so far this season.
But there is one big question mark hanging over DeChambeau heading into this event.
His iron play seemed to cost him last year. He made some notable mistakes with an iron in his hand, with DeChambeau’s single length clubs seemingly causing him more issues than most on Augusta National’s fairways.
And despite his wins in Singapore and South Africa, it should be a concern that DeChambeau actually lost strokes to the field with his approach play at Steyn City, according to Data Golf.
He also performed poorly with his approach play in Hong Kong.
Given just how many players look to have a realistic chance of winning this week, it is extremely concerning that a familiar Achilles heel appears to be resurfacing for the two-time US Open champion.
