The post Bryson DeChambeau gets terse with reporters after nightmare Masters start appeared first on Golf.

The post Bryson DeChambeau gets terse with reporters after nightmare Masters start appeared first on Golf.

On Wednesday at the Masters Par 3 Contest, Bryson DeChambeau glowed on TV screens across the country. He was all smiles, as he often is, yucking it up with movie star Kevin Hart, who caddied for the two-time major champion in the laidback event.

But just one day later, viewers were presented with a much different version of Bryson DeChambeau.

Following a nightmare start in the opening round of the 2026 Masters on Thursday, a fuming-under-the-surface DeChambeau was terse with reporters, partly blamed the wind for his struggles, praised the 3D-printed iron he made for himself and, finally, offered up a one wordless response that is sure to become a golf meme for years to come.

Frustrated DeChambeau reacts to struggles in Masters opening round

Coming into this week’s Masters, DeChambeau was riding high. He’d just won back-to-back LIV events, earning him elevated placement in the pre-tournament Masters odds. So high, in fact, that oddsmakers deemed Bryson to have a better chance of winning the green jacket than defending champion Rory McIlroy.

But in a mirror of last year’s final round, Thursday’s opening day of the 2026 Masters saw McIlroy rise to the top of the leaderboard, and DeChambeau fall far behind, risking irrelevance on the weekend.

By day’s end, McIlroy had shot 67 to tie for the early lead. DeChambeau had shot 76 and will have to fight to make the cut on Friday.

It’s safe to say that after the round, DeChambeau was not amused with his results.

While he often is positive, thoughtful and long-winded in media interviews, DeChambeau was none of the above on Thursday evening. Perhaps understandably so, given what had unfolded at Augusta National on Thursday.

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The first question was about Bryson’s biggest disaster of the day. At the treacherous par-4 11th, he twice failed to escape the greenside bunker, eventually walking away with a triple-bogey 7.

What happened on 11?

“Bunker was softer than I anticipated,” DeChambeau replied curtly.

How cognizant were you of not going left given what happened last year in the final round? (When DeChambeau hit his approach on 11 into the greenside pond, resulting in a devastating double bogey.)

“The ball flew 12 yards farther than I wanted it to. I had a good shot.”

How is the 5-iron treating you? (The 5-iron that DeChambeau 3D-printed himself, which he enthusiastically shared in his pre-Masters press conference, along with plans to eventually build an entire set of self-made irons.)

“Good. It was great on 7. Hit a good second shot. Wind didn’t hit it off the left. Irons are still something I have to work on.”

Are you satisfied with the 5?

“Yeah, yeah. I mean, I only hit it once today, so…”

When Bryson was then asked how long it would take for him to make one of his homemade irons, he appeared to grow increasingly impatient and eager to move on.

Still, he reeled off an explanation in monotone bullet points.

“Prints in eight hours. Machines, they’re three or four hours,” DeChambeau began. “Then you have to cut grooves in it and do a bunch of other stuff. So you can have something within a day and a half.”

But it was DeChambeau’s response to the next question that betrayed his true state-of-mind following a grueling and unsuccessful hike up and down Augusta National’s pristine hills.

When asked if he would consider printing and building a new iron for the weekend rounds, a flabbergasted DeChambeau responded with facial expression that became an instant meme, then said, “No. It has to be USGA-conforming. There’s a whole process you have to go through.”

DeChambeau did provide a small window into his gameplan for Friday considering his lowly leaderboard position, saying he had to “hit my irons better,” while also lamenting the tricky winds at Augusta.

“Just going to give what the golf course gives me. I have to try to hit my irons better. I drove it left numerous occasions,” he said. “Did a great job on 18. Wind didn’t hurt it like we thought, and that’s this game. That’s the golf course.”

He continued: “You know, everybody has an ability for weird things to happen, and today I just did not have my irons under control, which is weird. It’s been good coming into it, so…”

When one reporter then tried to return to the 5-iron line of questioning, DeChambeau had officially had enough.

“That’s a longer conversation. It’s not for here,” he replied.

And with that, the scrum was over, and DeChambeau was left trying to figure out how to figure out this bedeviling golf course on Friday.

He tees off for Round 2 at 1:20 p.m. ET.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bryson DeChambeau says he told Asterisk Talley there’s more to golf.  

He said that she could sign autographs and that she could inspire.

He said she had an opportunity to show who she was. 

And that was DeChambeau’s message to Talley on Saturday afternoon after she struggled during the Augusta National Women’s Amateur’s final round. The two-time men’s U.S. Open winner had come out to support one of the world’s best women’s amateurs, who he’d known for a while and was the ANWA leader through two days. But disaster hit. Talley bogeyed the 11th hole. She dumped two shots in the water on 12 and made a quadruple bogey. She signed for a three-over 75 and tied for fourth. 

Afterward, DeChambeau met with her. Tuesday, two days before he was to start in the Masters, he talked a bit about what he told her. 

What happened, he said, wouldn’t define Talley. 

“Yeah, again, knowing her and seeing her practice around me quite a bit when she was younger,” DeChambeau said, “I felt like it was a great opportunity to come out and support her, knowing where she was and that she was playing very well. Also, if she won, there to support her. If she lost, there to help her.

“I felt like it was an opportunity that I could show her a different side of golf. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and the losses can be really difficult. But it’s just not what defines you. That was the message I gave her. This is not going to define you. If anything, this is going to almost give you an opportunity to show who you truly are.”

DeChambeau said he tried to give Talley some perspective after he had a similar result last year. At the 2025 Masters, he led after two holes into the tournament’s final round, then played four-over golf after that and tied for fifth. 

“It’s more important to show who you truly are in the losses than the wins,” DeChambeau said Tuesday. “If you have the ability to inspire kids around you — I essentially said look at all the people out there waiting for you to sign autographs. If you can go out there and sign those autographs, it’s more impactful than even winning the tournament sometimes. I know that from experience.

“Albeit, it’s great to win and we all want to win, there’s more to the game. Don’t let this define you because you’re going to have an unbelievable career. This is the start of something special.

“Those are the words I gave her. There was more that I said that I won’t talk about obviously, but that was the gist of it. I felt it was the right time to do it. Again, it’s not like I’m — I mean, I was focused on just helping her out. I didn’t want anything from it other than to help her out.” 

During a post-round interview on Saturday, Talley said DeChambeau told her to keep her head high. 

“He said he’s been in my position before, and he knows how it feels, especially here,” he said. “He said you’re a great player. It doesn’t really matter.” 

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The post Bryson DeChambeau signs unique deal with SWAG Golf appeared first on Golf.

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Earlier this week, the Northbrook, Ill. based golf company SWAG Golf quietly announced the signing of a new player with Bryson DeChambeau in a quirky video with Kevin Hart. The video was pretty humerous, but if you see DeChambeau at Augusta this week, you’ll see him rocking some new SWAG headcovers in the bag.

DeChambeau signing with SWAG not only as an athlete, but as an ambassador and creator as well. His influence in the creator space and digital landscape can’t be ignored, it 4.4M followers on Instagram and approaching 3M subscribers on YouTube, giving him a unique stature among the younger generation. SWAG will use Bryson for collaborative content, and also employ his creativity and ideas to new designs that SWAG loyalists will be able to chase.

“This is a collision of forces that refuses to play by the old rules — not a traditional endorsement,” said Griffin Glatt, CRO of SWAG Golf. “SWAG customers are rewriting the rules of the game’s culture, and so is Bryson. This is a natural alignment, and we can’t wait for the first drop.”

SWAG Golf has made themselves a leader in the headcover space of late, as well as in limited edition metal work (ball markers, ball mark repair tools, etc.), and putters. It’s a natural progression for them to add to DeChambeau to their ambassador team. The two-time major winner will join influencer Paige Spiranac on the SWAG Golf team, and I’d imagine we’ll see some collaborative content from them together as well.

SWAG has promised some headcover collaboration with Bryson coming soon. When that will be? We’ll have to stay tuned to the SWAG Golf Instagram page to be sure. Something tells me if DeChambeau is in the hunt again on Sunday, we might all be in for a treat.

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The post ‘All these bots’: Jim Nantz hits back at critics of Bryson DeChambeau comments appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘All these bots’: Jim Nantz hits back at critics of Bryson DeChambeau comments appeared first on Golf.

Masters week is here, and CBS’ Jim Nantz and two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau will command a lot of attention in the coming days. Nantz will be the lead TV analyst on Saturday and Sunday. DeChambeau is one of the betting favorites to win his first green jacket.

Heading into tournament week, though, the two men are entwined in a bit of controversy stemming from recent comments Nantz made about DeChambeau in the lead-up to the Masters.

On Monday, Nantz joined the “Pat McAfee Show” to defend himself, saying he “stood by his comments” while blaming criticism his comments have received on “bots” and LIV Golf’s social media team. But he also attempted to quell any further controversy by professing his “great friendship” and “long relationship” with DeChambeau.

Here’s what you need to know.

Nantz calls DeChambeau friend: ‘My son was almost named after him’

The Nantz-DeChambeau controversy began last week, when Nantz took part in a conference call previewing CBS’ 2026 Masters coverage.

In response to a question about DeChambeau’s form heading into the Masters, Nantz first said he considered Bryson among the favorites to win the Masters. But then he confessed that he had “not seen Bryson hit a single shot this year. I have not seen him.”

The comments spread far and wide, with some observers taking them as a dig at DeChambeau, and others seeing an implied criticism of LIV Golf.

In his appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, the first day of Masters week, Nantz tried to clarify his comments about DeChambeau, saying they were “extracted from a quote” in which he picked Bryson as one of the Masters favorites.

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“I really like Bryson’s chances. I was on a press conference call last week and a lot of people took exception to a statement I made about how Bryson, I haven’t watched a shot so far this year. Of course he’s been winning on the LIV tour, he’s won a couple of starts, and I just want to say that was extracted from a quote where I had him as the favorite behind Scottie [Scheffler], number one,” Nantz said on the Pat McAfee Show.

Nantz then tried to defend himself by describing the “long relationship” he’s had with DeChambeau. Surprisingly, he even claimed he nearly named his son after Bryson.

“I happened to mention I’ve had a long relationship with Bryson, he’s been to my home, my son was almost named after him, I mean, there’s a great friendship and respect there,” Nantz said. “I think he’s going to win Augusta, maybe this year.”

Nantz defends controversial DeChambeau comments, blames LIV ‘bots’

He then provided a similar excuse for not having watched DeChambeau in 2026 to the one he gave in last week’s media call, saying he’s “got my own stuff going on” including his own CBS PGA Tour broadcasts. (Both of DeChambeau’s LIV wins this year came after CBS’ most recent golf broadcast).

He went on to defend his actions by claiming he also doesn’t need to watch DP World Tour events to prepare for those players’ appearances at the Masters.

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“I was just trying to make a point. I’ve got my own stuff going on. We’re broadcasting. The point is, I read everything. I don’t have to sit down and watch the DP World Tour to be prepared for those players, or the LIV Golf,” Nantz argued. “But I give them their due, and I expect that Jon Rahm’s coming in playing well, too. I expect both Jon and Bryson will be right there, both great guys, and I would love to have them on the leaderboard.”

When McAfee asked Nantz if he was claiming his comments were taken out of context, Nantz said that he “stood by his comments” and blamed “all these bots” and LIV’s “strong force of a social media team” for the criticism his Bryson comments have received. He also reiterated that they were not meant as an attack on DeChambeau, and that he considers Bryson “a friend.”

“You’ve got all these bots, and LIV has a pretty strong force of a social media team, from what I hear because I’m not on social media, but if you say anything that can be loosely interpreted as negative, they come after you. And that’s fine. I stood by my comments,” Nantz said. “I wasn’t trying to take a shot at Bryson. Like I said, I have a great regard for him, I consider him a friend, and I consider him a favorite this week.”

DeChambeau begins 2026 Masters week as the second-favorite in the Masters odds, with the opening round kicking off Thursday. Nantz’s CBS broadcast duties begin Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

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The post Asterisk Talley’s emotional ANWA collapse ended with message from Bryson DeChambeau appeared first on Golf.

The post Asterisk Talley’s emotional ANWA collapse ended with message from Bryson DeChambeau appeared first on Golf.

By the time Asterisk Talley reached the 18th hole at Augusta National on Saturday, her story had already been written and the tears were starting to well in her eyes.

The 17-year-old star amateur started the day with a one-shot lead at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur after posting back-to-back bogey-free rounds at Champions Retreat. Through the first nine holes on Saturday, Talley seemed up to the moment. She birdied Nos. 1, 3 and 4 before making the turn in 3-under 33. With nine holes left, Talley’s lead remained slim. But she hadn’t made a bogey at the ANWA since the sixth hole of last year’s final round and had never made a bogey on the back nine at Augusta in her first two trips around the famed course.

Everything seemed to be lined up for Asterisk Talley, whose first name means “Little Star,” to claim one of the biggest prizes in amateur golf.

Then, everything came unraveled.

Talley made a bogey at the par-4 11th to drop into a tie with Maria Jose Marin, and then, on Augusta’s shortest hole, the par-3 12th, Talley’s tournament chances evaporated. She hit her tee shot over the green and into the bushes. It luckily bounced out of the shrubs and into the back bunker. But Talley said the sand was hard, which kept her from getting a lot of spin on her second shot. She made contact, and the ball raced across the green and into Rae’s Creek. She elected to drop back in the bunker and play the same shot, but she once again ran it through the putting surface and into the water. She made a quadruple bogey 7, and her tournament chase was effectively over. She came home in 42 to shoot a final round 3-over 75 and finish six shots back of Marin.

After Talley tapped in for a closing par, the emotions of an opportunity lost came flooding out.

“I’m just a little emotional,” a teary-eyed Talley said after the round. “Not only because I didn’t get it done today, but also just everyone is so supportive. It’s hard when they have to watch that and see you not do well or not accomplish what you wanted. I still played fine today, even though that one hole just kind of got me. Other than that, it doesn’t define me as a golfer. I know what kind of player I am.”

As Talley left the course, Bryson DeChambeau gave her a hug and offered words of encouragement. DeChambeau’s Augusta National demons are well-documented. He was the low amateur in 2016, but then struggled to solve the Masters riddle for years, including an 80 and back-to-back missed cuts in 2022 and 2023. Last year, DeChambeau started the final round two shots back of Rory McIlroy and took the lead after the second hole. But the two-time U.S. Open champion quickly faded, and a double bogey at No. 11 and a bogey at 12 sealed his Masters fate.

“He said keep my head high,” Talley said of DeChambeau. “He said he’s been in my position before, and he knows how it feels, especially here. He said you’re a great player. It doesn’t really matter.”

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LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam also embraced Talley after a trying round.

“She said you’re the best,” Talley said. “She said you’re the best player out here. Just don’t let this get to your head. Don’t let it beat you up. You’re still such a good golfer.

“It’s great just coming from her, especially. She was the best player ever. Her telling me I’m the best player out here is pretty special. Again, it goes back to the support I have out here. It’s really nice to just have those people behind me and to have those kind of moments out here, especially when something like that happens.”

A mis-club at the 12th and a poor decision on the drop doomed Talley’s ANWA hopes. But as the Stanford commit made her way home on the back nine at Augusta National, her tournament hopes in tatters, she steadied herself and walked forward with purpose, hoping that her golf could still erase what had just happened. A birdie at the par-5 13th allowed her to exhale, but Talley was unable to conjure up closing magic.

The damage had long been done by the time she hit her tee shot on No. 16 in the water. But Asterisk Talley, while emotional and disappointed, got something out of a closing walk with the shattered pieces of her ANWA dream.

“I kept fighting,” Talley said. “I was able to still keep my head in the right place, even after that little meltdown there. Still just kind of kept my head high heading into the last few holes. It just didn’t work out, but that’s okay.”

Of all those who offered Talley support and shelter after her round ended, it was unsurprisingly Talley’s parents whose message gave her what she needed after watching her ANWA hopes get washed away.

“They just told me that they love me,” Talley said. “It didn’t define me as a player that that happened out there. It’s hard not to get emotional. There’s so much support out here. Sorry. I think it’s harder when there’s support out here watching you do that, but it’s great they’re still with me right now. I’m really happy that they’re here.”

Talley has won big tournaments and had several near-misses. But this scar will be one that she’ll carry. It’s the kind that Augusta National has a reputation for giving the world’s best — one Asterisk Talley will have an opportunity to heal next year when she returns.

But for now, all that remains is the thought of what could’ve been and the painful sting of the dreams that didn’t materialize on Saturday at Augusta National.

“No, definitely not,” Talley said when asked if she had ever hurt like this after a loss. “It just wasn’t my day today. But it’s okay.”

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The post ‘I have to confess’: Jim Nantz makes shocking Bryson DeChambeau admission appeared first on Golf.

Next week, Jim Nantz will host CBS’ Masters broadcast for the 38th time. This week, the golf TV legend provided a hearty dose of controversy ahead of the first major of the year.

In a media conference call previewing the 2026 Masters, Nantz offered up a shocking confession about Bryson DeChambeau, who even Nantz admitted is among the favorites to win the green jacket at Augusta National. The comments also served as an underhanded slight at LIV Golf.

Nantz’s big admission? He hasn’t watched DeChambeau “hit a single shot this year.”

Nantz confesses to not watching DeChambeau ahead of Masters

Nantz has seen a lot of Bryson DeChambeau over the years, but less so since the two-time major winner joined LIV Golf in 2022.

In addition to the Masters, Nantz leads the TV booth for all of CBS’ PGA Tour broadcasts. That gives him thorough knowledge of the current roster of Tour stars. But it doesn’t help him with pros who don’t play on the PGA Tour, such as DeChambeau.

Still, the expectation for any lead analyst, especially for the most important event of the year, is to thoroughly study every competitor ahead of the tournament. That’s even more true when it comes to star players who will likely be featured in the broadcast.

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But on Monday during his pre-Masters media call one week before the tournament, Nantz admitted that when it comes to DeChambeau, he has not done his homework.

Interestingly, Nantz provided his confession while naming DeChambeau as one of his top picks to win the Masters next week.

“I think if you had to pick one guy, [Scottie Scheffler] would be the guy, and probably right behind him would be Bryson [DeChambeau].”

He added that DeChambeau deserves to be a top Masters pick “given his recent track record.” But then Nantz contradicted himself by admitting that he’s only received a second-hand accounting of DeChambeau’s recent results.

“I have to confess, I have not seen Bryson hit a single shot this year. I have not seen him,” Nantz said.

He continued by saying he can’t speak to DeChambeau’s current “form” because he’s only watched YouTube videos of Bryson with his son.

“So for me to say what his form looks like, all I can go off is the YouTube videos I’ve watched with my son,” Nantz said. “That’s all I’ve seen.”

Why Nantz hasn’t watched Bryson in lead-up to Masters

Nantz did offer an excuse for why he hasn’t watched DeChambeau this year, saying he has been “busy doing our own coverage, so I haven’t seen him play.”

But that reasoning is dubious at best. NBC has provided the TV coverage for the last several PGA Tour events heading into the Masters. Nantz and CBS’ last event was the 2026 Genesis Invitational, which ended February 22, more than a month ago.

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Reading between the lines, Nantz was really admitting that he hasn’t watched any LIV Golf events this year, which is the only tour DeChambeau has played on so far. If Nantz had tuned into LIV Golf since CBS’ last golf broadcast at the Genesis, he would have seen Bryson win back-to-back events.

Despite his lack of knowledge regarding DeChambeau’s current form, Nantz said because he’s aware of Bryson’s past performance, he wouldn’t be surprised to see him capture his third major title at the Masters next week.

“I know his desire to win there. I know Bryson quite well through the years, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him in a Green Jacket one day.”

The 2026 Masters begins next Thursday, April 9, at Augusta National.

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The post ‘I wasn’t going to wilt’: Rory McIlroy reveals Masters spat with Bryson DeChambeau in new doc appeared first on Golf.

If you thought you knew everything about Rory McIlroy’s historic final round at the 2025 Masters, think again. In a new documentary, McIlroy made at least one big revelation about that wild day, and it involves his rival Bryson DeChambeau.

McIlroy and DeChambeau dueled for the green jacket in Sunday’s final pairing last year at Augusta, and both players reported that they didn’t speak at all that day. But now we know that’s not true.

In a clip from “Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait,” an upcoming Amazon Prime documentary about McIlroy’s Masters triumph, McIlroy revealed that he and DeChambeau got into a tense standoff over who would putt first halfway through the final round, in what McIlroy described as “a really big moment.”

Here’s what you need to know.

McIlroy-DeChambeau get in tense debate on Masters Sunday

When the third round was over at last year’s Masters, McIlroy found himself with a two-shot lead and his best chance in years to capture his first green jacket. But he would have to survive a final-round pairing with his chief rival and, on the leaderboard, the biggest threat to his career Grand Slam dreams: DeChambeau.

The two had gone toe-to-toe on major Sundays before, with Bryson coming out on top in a heated battle at the 2024 U.S. Open.

When McIlroy opened Sunday’s Masters finale with a shocking double bogey, the two superstars were suddenly tied. DeChambeau took the lead briefly with a birdie at 2, before McIlroy settled in with back-to-back birdies at 3 and 4 (Bryson made bogeys at 3 and 4).

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As the pair arrived at Augusta’s difficult 9th green, McIlroy’s lead had grown to three. Both players were facing birdie putts from a similar length. So similar, in fact, that they each believed the other player’s ball was closer to the hole.

The stakes could not have been higher. If DeChambeau sank his putt and Rory missed, Bryson would be within two shots of the lead with nine holes to play. If the opposite happened, Bryson would be virtually out of the running.

That’s where the dust-up began, as McIlroy revealed in the clip from his new documentary.

“I thought it very clearly was my putt. I thought his ball was slightly closer than mine,” McIlroy begins in the clip. “We sort of look at each other, and I’m like, ‘Well I think it’s me to go.’ And he’s like, ‘Well I think it’s me to go.'”

McIlroy then explained that both he and DeChambeau saw it as an advantage to putt first in that moment.

“It’s a very gamesmanship-y, match-play thing. Really, both of us want to putt first. Because if you can hole that putt before your opponent, it puts pressure on them,” McIlroy said.

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That led DeChambeau to offer up a compromise… they could just flip for it. McIlroy did not take kindly to that suggestion.

“He goes, ‘Well why don’t we just throw a tee up for it to see who goes first?'” McIlroy said. “And I’m like, ‘No.’ This is the final round of the Masters. This isn’t some game on a Tuesday afternoon somewhere. I’m like, ‘No.'”

He continued: “I wasn’t going to wilt in that situation. I was just going to stand firm.”

So Rory suggested they get an official measurement to determine who would putt first, and that’s when DeChambeau finally backed down.

“So I said, ‘There’s a ref… why don’t we get him up to come and measure?’ And he said, ‘No, no. It’s fine. You can go anyway. I don’t care.’ And I just felt like that was a really big moment.”

A big moment indeed. With the debate concluded, McIlroy stepped up and drained his birdie putt to move to one under on the day. DeChambeau followed and missed. And with that, McIlroy had a four-shot advantage heading to the back nine.

“I was proud of myself for holding my ground,” McIlroy concluded.

Of course, the drama wasn’t over. McIlroy kept things interesting with a bogey at 11, a double bogey at 13, a bogey a 14, birdies at 15 and 17 and a final bogey at 18. That forced him into a playoff, but with Justin Rose, not DeChambeau. Bryson made a double and two bogeys of his own on the back to shoot 75 and finish T5.

The new documentary, “Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait,” debuts March 30 on Amazon Prime. The 2026 Masters begins April 9.

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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Bryson DeChambeau’s chances to claim a green jacket, Tiger Woods’ health and more.

Bryson DeChambeau beat Jon Rahm in a playoff to win LIV Golf South Africa and claim his second straight LIV victory in what was the league’s final tune-up before the first major of the year. With the way DeChambeau has played the last two weeks, has he taken away the title as Masters favorite? Or does that still belong to Scottie or Rory?

Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): Considering Scottie’s early-season slump and Rory’s uncertain health, I think it’s fair to say that Bryson is the early favorite at Augusta. However, if he doesn’t control his distances with his irons well (which has plagued him in recent years at the Masters), I fear his chances to claim a green jacket are slim. 

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): It’s gotta be Scottie still; his demise is greatly exaggerated. But the fact that DeChambeau is in the middle of this conversation now is significant — and fun. Add in a few other stars ramping up with top-tier golf (Xander, Rahm, Fitz) and there should be plenty to talk about pre-Augusta.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Vegas won’t call anyone but Scottie the favorite, and as Dylan says, Scheffler’s “slump” has consisted of three top-25 finishes that followed two top-fives and a win. Scheffler is also playing this coming week in Texas before he heads to Augusta, so he’s got one more chance to fine-tune some things. Bryson playing like this adds mega juice to any major. Few players energize a venue like him. I hope he plays well at Augusta.

LIV’s two biggest stars — DeChambeau and Rahm — battled it out in the final round in South Africa. It’s rare, on any tour, that the biggest names are the ones left standing down the stretch. Is this a meaningful player rivalry? And is that important for LIV or not?

Melton: It’s VERY important for LIV, and with smaller fields and a set schedule, they have a setup to make sure that storyline plays out on a more frequent basis. Unfortunately for the league, recent defections have thinned out the star pool, so the chances of stars battling down the stretch are smaller than the past few years. 

Dethier: It’s funny, I went into the Bay Hill/Players double wondering if we were due for a Scottie-Rory showdown. That was very much not the case, and it’s almost never happened. So LIV should be thrilled that its top two dogs are tangling. Also, it’s top two dogs should be thrilled as they continue to build contract leverage…

Berhow: It’s important for LIV and it’s important for any league. I don’t think golf fans appreciate it enough when this stuff happens in major or non-majors. Think of how many times we saw Tiger and Phil play together in final pairings on major Sundays (once!) or just any pair of marquee players. Bryson and Rory in the final Masters pairing last year was one of the tastiest final major pairings we’ve had in years. The more we see it the more it continues to build these rivalries and storylines.

One week after he lost the Players Championship on the 72nd hole at TPC Sawgrass, Matt Fitzpatrick bounced back to win the Valspar on Sunday. While he’s won 10 times on the DP World Tour, this was just his third PGA Tour title. Has Fitzpatrick’s last two weeks proven he’s ready to go on a heater this summer? Or just a couple of good weeks?

Melton: As the cliche goes, you want to get hot at the right time — and Fitz seems like he’s peaking right when you want to. It’ll be hard to maintain this form all summer, but as far as maximizing his Masters chances go, he’s put himself in a great spot.

Dethier: The most encouraging thing about Fitzpatrick’s surge is his stellar approach play — that travels anywhere. I’d expect him to be a factor in multiple majors.

Berhow: Now he needs the major success. Sure, he won the U.S. Open at Brookline in 2022 but he’s still had just six major top 10s in 42 starts. But he was T4 and T8, respectively, in The Open and PGA last year, so maybe it’s coming. He’ll be a popular sleeper-ish pick come Masters week.

Last month at the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods offered a promising Masters update. But on Tuesday during TGL Woods said he’s “working on it,” adding, “the body doesn’t quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn’t quite bounce back. So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it’s hard to just move around.” Has this changed your opinion on if Woods will play the Masters?

Melton: Not at all. I’m just waiting for his WD to become official so we can put this silliness to bed. 

Dethier: Meh, I’d still bet he plays. But it’s clear getting to that point is anything but easy. As long as we approach his start with a proper lack of expectations (unlikely, given it’s Tiger at Augusta) we should be fine. It’s all bonus.

Berhow: I wish I was as optimistic as Dylan. I’m moving his percentage chance of playing down to about 40 percent, although he probably truly doesn’t know until the week of with how things change so quickly with his body.

Augusta National released its Taste of the Masters hosting kits last week, where you can bring parts of the Masters — the pimento, cookies or azalea cocktails, etc. — right to your living room. But what if you only get one item to select? What are you shipping to your home?

Melton: I’m quite fond of the chicken salad sandwiches. But the Georgia peach ice cream sandwiches would be a solid choice as well.

Dethier: I’ve noticed some backlash against the Masters food in recent years — gripes that it’s not that good. I dunno. I don’t care. It’s like eating pasta while walking Rome. Part of the taste is the place. Pencil me in for 50 chicken salad / pulled pork sandos and 50 more chocolate chip cookies. I’ll gun for self-control starting April 13th.

Berhow: The chocolate chip cookies are a problem. I like the egg salad and pimento and ice cream, but I could live without them. The cookies? They mean too much to me.

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The post Bryson DeChambeau defeats Jon Rahm to claim back-to-back wins in emotional playoff appeared first on Golf.

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LIV Golf’s recent sprint across the globe featured stops in Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa in three successive weeks. This week’s tournament at Midland’s Club at Steyn City marked the league’s first-ever event on the African continent, and the fans turned out in droves.

Those fans got their money’s worth too, with an opportunity to witness a heavyweight battle between LIV’s two biggest names, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. On Sunday, Rahm eradicated DeChambeau’s three-shot lead by firing a bogey-free, eight-under round of 65 to reach 26 under par.

DeChambeau fired a final-round 68 to also get to 26 under par, sending the two to a playoff for the individual title. On the first playoff hole, the 651-yard par-5 18th, DeChambeau hit the green in two with a magnificent fairway wood from the wet ground left of the fairway, giving him a makeable look at eagle while Rahm found the greenside bunker.

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Rahm left his bunker shot outside of DeChambeau’s mark, and when Rahm missed his birdie putt, DeChambeau had two putts to win, making his victory all but assured. DeChambeau hit his eagle putt to tap-in range, securing his birdie and the win, making him LIV’s first back-to-back winner since Talor Gooch won in Adelaide and Singapore in 2023.

DeChambeau was immediately overcome with emotion after holing his putt, tearfully embracing his caddie and later, his Crushers GC teammates, who also secured a team win, edging the home-country favorites, Southern Guards GC, by a single shot.

In his post-round interview, DeChambeau remained coy about the source of his emotion.

“I wish I could tell you,” he said. “A lot has happened in the past week. I’m just so grateful for my team, the Crushers, everybody supporting me. It’s so funny, golf is a fickle game, and you work so hard at it your whole entire life, and you realize that golf is just golf and there’s a lot more to life than just golf.

“I had some things happen in the off time during this week, and I was just praying all day, praying to give me the perseverance to move forward and keep looking forward,” he continued. “I’ve just got to say I love everybody. Thank you for supporting. South Africa was unbelievable. I mean, got to be the best LIV event we’ve ever had.”

DeChambeau now has five LIV individual titles, and his team, Crushers GC, leads the league with nine team victories.

The South Africa event is LIV Golf’s final tune-up before the Masters. The next stop is Mexico City, which will take place at Club de Golf Chapultepec April 16-19.

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JOHANNESBURG — It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s still been three better than anyone else.

Bryson DeChambeau, in the run-up to the first major of the year, has ascended to the enviable place where something less than his best is still good enough to win. 

That’s not to say less of his 63-65-64 start. It’s more to acknowledge how DeChambeau has shown frustration at the numerous putts he’s left short, or the consecutive days where he missed the easy par-3, 17th green, or the sloppy double bogey he made Friday afternoon.

“That back nine just kind of didn’t go my way on some of it,” DeChambeau said. “I made a great eagle on 10 and a great birdie on 18, but everything else was kind of a bit scrambly.”

In large part, DeChambeau has turned a long, wet property into something that feels much lesser. The 5,000 feet of altitude makes his longer-than-anyone long game seem even longer. The 393-yard par-4 1st amounts to a pitch-n-putt, from which he dunked his approach on Friday. Same for the 364-yard drivable 5th. He’s played those two holes six times and carded eight under between them. 

“It’s key to get off to a good start,” said his chief chaser, Jon Rahm. “Bryson has done a great job on that every single day.” Rahm has played those two holes in five under, really as good as anyone not named DeChambeau.

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It would be the fifth LIV win of DeChambeau’s career and would make him the first player since Talor Gooch in 2023 to win consecutive LIV events. Now that the league receives world ranking points, it’ll also help DeChambeau climb back into the top 25, granted he finishes the job. And while he has no doubt energized the rabid crowds in Johannesburg, he may find many of them rooting against him Sunday morning. 

Four shots back is South African Dean Burmester, who has been the clear fan-favorite. So much that he was brought to tears on the 1st tee Saturday morning. Two shots back is South African Branden Grace, who has been chasing DeChambeau for 72 hours now, playing the last two rounds with him. Event organizers have been swapping out the white, wooden picket fences that flanked various holes for sturdier, steel fences that won’t buckle under the pressure of crowd weight. That feels like a sign of the Sunday to come. So did the opening exchange of Grace’s press conference.

When asked, in the name of South Africa’s famous wildlife, if he would have to be a bit of a cheetah, racing out to a catch DeChambeau, Grace pivoted cleverly. 

“Listen, I think I have to be a little bit of a rhino tomorrow,” he said. “I have to be tough tomorrow. This is going to be a battle. Listen, he’s playing phenomenal golf. I feel that I’m also playing phenomenal golf. You just need a couple of things to go your way and then a couple of shots can turn out — it can change quickly.”

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