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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | For a man who is building a legacy by questioning conventional wisdom, Bryson DeChambeau left Augusta National on Sunday afternoon searching for another answer.
Why he didn’t feel well during his underwhelming Masters week.
DeChambeau, who had himself tested for COVID-19 during the tournament after feeling poorly, estimated he played the Masters at 60 percent as he continued to cope with dizziness among other symptoms.
“I’ve got to fix whatever is going on up here,” DeChambeau said, pointing to his head after finishing at 2-under par for the tournament.
“There was numerous times where I was over it and I just felt super uncomfortable,” he said. “I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t see the line. It was really weird.”
For all of the pre-tournament talk about what DeChambeau and his new power might do to Augusta National, he felt out of contention immediately. While he led the field in driving distance (324.1 yards on soft fairways), he never generated much positive momentum.
His week was symbolized by a triple bogey on the third hole on Friday when he had a lost ball off the tee. He made the cut on the number, but two double bogeys and a triple bogey littered his scorecards.
“I made enough birdies (18) this week and eagles (one) to have a chance to win,” DeChambeau said. “There’s no doubt about that. I made way too many mistakes that I’ve got to talk about with my caddie and go, ‘Hey, how do we not make these mistakes anymore, how can we work better as a team to have that not happen?’
“At Winged Foot (in the U.S. Open) we did a great job of it. This week we didn’t. We didn't place it in the right places and I mis‑hit a lot of shots that usually are pretty easy for me.”
Before the start of the Masters, DeChambeau casually remarked that given his length, he saw Augusta National as a par-67 course. To his credit, DeChambeau said he felt like he shot 15-over par in this Masters.
DeChambeau will not play competitively again until he tees it up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s wide-open Plantation Course in early January.
“I’m looking forward to that,” DeChambeau said. “That’ll be a bomber's paradise for the most part. No pun intended.”
Ron Green Jr.