Bryson DeChambeau takes a chance with reporters after the start of the Masters
On Wednesday at the Masters Par 3 tournament, Bryson DeChambeau lit up television across the country. He was smiling, as he often is, to the delight of movie star Kevin Hart, who entered the event as a two-time grand champion.
But just one day later, viewers were introduced to a very different version of Bryson DeChambeau.
After a rough start in the opening round of the 2026 Masters on Thursday, DeChambeau, who was furious with reporters, partly blaming the wind for his struggles, admired the 3D printed iron he made himself and, finally, gave one wordless answer that is sure to become a golf meme for years to come.
Frustrated DeChambeau reacts to struggles in Masters opening round
Going into this week’s Masters, DeChambeau was riding high. He had just won back-to-back LIV events, which earned him the top spot in the pre-tournament odds. So high, in fact, that observers saw Bryson as having a better chance of winning the green jacket than defending champion Rory McIlroy.
But in a mirror image of last year’s final round, Thursday’s opening day of the 2026 Masters saw McIlroy move up the leaderboard, while DeChambeau fell further behind, risking nothing to say about the weekend.
By the end of the day, McIlroy had shot a 67 to tie for first. DeChambeau shot a 76 and will have to fight to make the cut on Friday.
It’s safe to say that after the round, DeChambeau wasn’t joking about his results.
While he’s often positive, thoughtful and long-winded in media interviews, DeChambeau was none of the above Thursday evening. Perhaps understandably so, given what happened at Augusta National on Thursday.
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The first question was about Bryson’s greatest tragedy of the time. On the treacherous par-4 11th, he twice failed to escape the underworld, eventually leaving with a triple-bogey 7.
What happened at 11?
“Bunker was softer than I expected,” DeChambeau answered succinctly.
How conscious were you of not being left looking at what happened last year in the final round? (When DeChambeau hit 11 on the green, resulting in a devastating double bogey.)
“The ball flew 12 yards farther than I wanted it to. I had a good shot.”
How does 5-iron treat you? (The 5-iron DeChambeau 3D-printed himself, which he enthusiastically shared at his pre-Masters press conference, and eventual plans to build an entire set of do-it-yourself irons.)
“Good. It was good on 7. Hit a good second shot. The wind didn’t hit it left. The irons are still something I have to work on.”
Are you satisfied with 5?
“Yeah, yeah. I mean, I only hit it once today, so…”
When Bryson was asked how long it would take him to do his homemade irons, he seemed impatient and eager to get going.
However, he relegated the meaning to monotone bullet points.
It prints in 8 hours. Machines, three or four hours,” DeChambeau began. Then you have to cut grooves in it and do a bunch of other things. So you can get something in a day and a half.”
But it was DeChambeau’s response to the next question that betrayed his true state of mind after a difficult and unsuccessful hike up and down the pristine hills of Augusta National.
When asked if he would consider printing and building a new iron for the weekend rounds, a surprised DeChambeau responded with a facial expression that became an instant meme, then said, “No. It has to be USGA compliant. There’s a whole process to go through.”
DeChambeau offered a small window into his Friday game plan regarding his low ranking on the leaderboard, saying he needs to “hit my irons better,” while also bemoaning the treacherous winds at Augusta.
“I will give what the golf course gives me. I have to try to hit my irons better. I hit it a lot,” he said. “He did a great job on 18. The wind didn’t hurt as much as we thought, and this game. The golf course.”
He continued: “You know, everybody has the ability to do weird things, and today I couldn’t control my ropes, which is weird. It was good to get into it, so…”
When another reporter tried to return to the 5 iron line of questions, DeChambeau had officially had enough.
“That’s a long 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 find this damn golf course on Friday.
He plays for Round 2 at 1:20 pm ET.
