Bryson DeChambeau's patience (and equipment) will be put to the test in 10th Masters start

DeChambeau is the best player without a green jacket, but he's slowly learned to accept the demands of Augusta National

Robby Kalland

Apr 8, 2026

1:27 pm ET

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7 min read

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AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A decade ago, a 22-year-old Bryson DeChambeau introduced himself to the golf world when he earned low amateur honors with a T21 finish in the 2016 Masters. A week later, he launched his professional career with a T4 finish in his PGA Tour debut at the RBC Heritage to affirm his place as a rising star.

That performance in his first trip to Augusta National Golf Club put DeChambeau on fans' radar, and the expectation was that he would eventually add a green jacket to his low amateur trophy. However, his first visit stood as his best finish over his next six trips to the Masters. Despite his ill-fated "par 67" proclamation in 2020, DeChambeau struggled to figure out the puzzle created by Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones.

After consecutive missed cuts in 2022-23, DeChambeau went back to the drawing board with his approach. Augusta National is designed to tempt players into attempting spectacular shots, but those who perform best at the Masters know that aggression must be opportunistic.

Patience was the biggest lesson DeChambeau needed to learn at the Masters; he needed to find a willingness to play to the middle of the green regularly, avoiding plastering big numbers onto his scorecard.

"I think focusing on hitting the bigger parts of the greens, making sure I'm missing it in the right places to certain flags is really what's adjusted my mindset in a positive way," DeChambeau said. "In times past, I'd just be going right for the flag, and it quite honestly would get me in a lot of trouble."

The result? Consecutive top 10 finishes. DeChambeau, who stands 10-1 to win the Masters per FanDuel (second-best in the field), is finally starting to make good on the promise of that auspicious debut a decade ago; however, while last year's T5 marked his best finish at the Masters, his 72 holes concluded on a sour note.

DeChambeau briefly held the lead in the final pairing on Sunday after Rory McIlroy stumbled out of the gate. It was suddenly DeChambeau's tournament to win, but some errant iron shots doomed him to a final=round 75 that dropped him out of contention by the end of Amen Corner.

With that result, DeChambeau now stands as the best player in the world without a green jacket. His peers in the consensus top four -- McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm -- all commiserated together at the Champions Dinner, while DeChambeau had to make other plans Tuesday night.

As he prepares for his 10th Masters, DeChambeau is starting to face the questions McIlroy finally shed with his victory in his 17th try.

On Tuesday, a year removed from that heartbreak, DeChambeau reflected on how he processed last year's performance.

"It was a great learning lesson," DeChambeau said. "Leading or being tied for the lead and having the lead, that last group final round, gave me a lot of perspective on it. Then losing it and having things not go my way as they finished out, and Rory completed the grand slam. Like I said last year, he earned it, right? It was really cool to see in person.

"Secondarily, I think, as I reflect back on it, the one thing I can take from it is I can put myself in those positions. The more I put myself in those positions, the better opportunities I'm going to have to win. It's just been a gradual learning process. You never know what this week may bring, but I certainly hope to give it my all and put myself back in that position because I want to feel it again."

DeChambeau knows patience is key, but executing on that plan is most important. What's particularly fascinating about him is how much he focuses on his equipment as a critical part of his game. Almost every professional golfer is particular about their equipment, but no one talks about it as fervently as the Texan.

It is, quite literally, the first perspective he brought up when asked what would be required for him to break through at Augusta National.

"It's a combination of a lot of things, but for one, I can say it's the equipment. Two, it's the mentality," DeChambeau said. "Yeah, those are really the two biggest things."

DeChambeau has had a rocky history with equipment manufacturers due to his uncompromising demands and constant desire to push clubs to their limits. After his latest abrupt breakup with LA Golf, he's now designing his own tools, which gives him more control but creates additional variables.

He has found recent success with consecutive wins on LIV Golf, but DeChambeau won't know whether that equipment will perform under the ultimate pressure of the Masters until he traverses that arena. That raises the question of whether he will trust that equipment in those critical moments, something even DeChambeau seems a