Bryson DeChambeau reflected on the comment he made year ago, calling Augusta National a "par 67" for him.
“I’ve always since said I don’t regret saying that 67 thing, because I learnt from that experience, and it made me a better person,” he said this week in an interview with The Telegraph.
“But do I wish I hadn’t said it? I do. Really, I do," added the 31-year-old.
“Because it impacted some people negatively and I don’t want that, no matter how much of a benefit it might have been to me maturing."
“I can see that it was disrespectful to some and I’m sorry for that. Boy, it was a humbling experience. But for me it was simply from a statistical viewpoint and yardages and looking at, if I’m playing well, I could or should be hitting the greens in two or whatever," he said.
“It was motivation for myself and not intended as anything otherwise. I’ve never disrespected Augusta internally."
DeChambeau's original "67" comment was made during an interview with Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis in November of 2020. DeChambeau said: “I’m looking at it as a par 67 for me because I can reach all the par fives in two, no problem. If the conditions stay the way they are, that’s what I feel like par is for me.” He elaborated that this perspective stemmed from his ability to overpower the course, particularly the par-5 holes, with his length off the tee, suggesting that his personal par was five strokes below the official par of 72. He added, “That’s not me being bigheaded. I can hit it as far as I want to,”
After the comments, DeChambeau went T46, MC, MC in his next three trips to Augusta National.
Last year, DeChambeau seemed to have cracked the code at the Masters. He finished T6, using his length off the tee to its full advantage. He held the 36-hole lead before shooting 75,73 over the weekend to slip back a bit.
The change in tune speaks to the two-time major winner's evolution over the past few years.
DeChambeau will look to build off strong performance last year as he competes in his 9th Masters this week.
More Masters on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bryson DeChambeau Regrets Old 'Par 67' Comment He Made About Augusta National.
