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US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau is scheduled for an early morning showdown with Augusta National’s Amen Corner on Thursday in the first round of the 84th Masters golf tournament.
SEE | Bryson DeChambeau records a ball speed of 320 km / h in Masters practice
Long-driving DeChambeau overwhelmed Winged Foot in September with brute force en route to his first major title, proving that his style of maximizing distance and location without regard for the rough could produce a major victory.
“I’m playing the best I’ve ever played,” DeChambeau said. “I have won a major. There are many opportunities now.”
DeChambeau’s huge practice runs and talks about using a 48-inch max driver stoked fears that the 27-year-old American would dominate Augusta National with his length and dominate his path to the green jacket, symbolic of supremacy. of the Masters.
“At practically every hole, he will have a clear advantage over everyone,” third-ranked Justin Thomas said of DeChambeau.
“He still has to shoot, hit shots and putts, but I sure would like to hit from his kicks instead of my distance.”
Wedges and short irons on the notoriously fast and undulating Augusta greens can only help DeChambeau.
“A short iron on the green will always be an advantage, especially at Augusta where the greens are so severe,” said Thomas, who cautioned, “Augusta is never defenseless.”
DeChambeau joins the world number 2 Jon rahm from Spain and South Africa Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, in the fourth group from the 10th tee at 07:33 (2:33 PM SA).
Defending champion Tiger Woods starts two groups behind DeChambeau, the 15-time main winner looking to match Jack Nicklaus with a record sixth Masters crown and break the mark he shares with Sam Snead for his 82nd career PGA Tour title.
Four-time Major League Baseball winner Rory McIlroy, trying to complete a Grand Slam with a Masters victory, starts from the first tee at noon along with world number one Dustin Johnson, 2020 PGA Player of the Year and the Tour Championship winner.
McIlroy could join Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Srazen as the only Slam winners in his career. Nicklaus and Player will serve as honorary holders.
Showers and thunderstorms are in Thursday’s forecast before conditions clear, setting up a soggy field that could play in the hands of McIlroy, whose major wins included a rain delay.
Johnson is trying to win his second major title and become the first highest-ranked player to win the Masters since Woods in 2002.
A field of 92 starters from 23 nations includes a record 26 players making their Masters debut, two more than the previous record set in 2014.
Newcomers to the Masters include Collin Morikawa, who won his first major title in August at the PGA Championship.
“Experience never hurts,” Morikawa said. “But I have to feel like I can still compete with these guys.”
Threesomes will wear both tees in a nod to fall’s shorter daylight hours after the Masters was postponed from its normal April schedule due to the Covid-19 pandemic which also resulted in no spectators being allowed.
