Bryson DeChambeau did nothing by the book. He's made a career out of jigging while other players jack, and it's on full display this week at Augusta National. Using experimental 3-D-printed irons, DeChambeau danced back on the leaderboard on Friday afternoon. Suddenly, without context or warning, the ESPN broadcast showed DeChambeau carrying the Augusta National sign like a cross on his shoulders. Ladies, gentlemen and non-believers, the second coming of Bryson is upon us.
The backstory, confirmed by Golf Digest's Ben Walton on the scene, is that the 2020 US Open champion found pine straw with his tee shot to the right of the 13th hole. A common place for many. But instead of stabbing back into his own reasonable path, which most people do automatically, Bryson found a different angle. He wanted to hole out on the 14th hole for a clear path to the 13th green. Bryson has even teased this strategy in the past, but here he was looking to play his second shot that way.
The only problem? One of Augusta National's iconic landmarks blocked Bryson's path between the 13th and 14th fairways. So, the artist formerly known as Bryson Toyowenliftpro simply went and ripped the sign out of the earth with his bare hands.
Unmarked, D'Chambeau escaped the trees near the 14th grandstand and set up a clear approach to the 13th green. Fittingly, Bryson did the job well, getting up and down for another birdie—to reach 8-under for a clear lead. While Bryson didn't quite bomb, as he has in the past, the freak episode — the most ridiculous episode we've seen since Pine Hay in 2010 — proved his gorilla-like ability to pick things up. And putting them down is still as powerful as ever.
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