Bryson DeChambeau bristled in a terse exchange with reporters after his disastrous first round at the Masters on Thursday.
The American, 32, had been tipped by many to contend for the green jacket over the next few days but faces a mountain to climb after finishing up on four-over-par.
Evidently frustrated with his performance over the first 18 holes, DeChambeau was agitated when fielding questions afterwards, particularly about his 3D-printed five iron.
‘I only hit it once today,’ he said. ‘It prints in eight hours, machines in another three or four hours. Then you have to cut grooves in it, and do a bunch of other stuff. So you can have something within a day and a half.’
He was then asked if he could print more clubs for the weekend and scoffed at the suggestion, retorting: ‘No! It has to be USGA-conforming. There’s a whole process you have to go through.’
DeChambeau was then asked whether he would take a more aggressive approach on Friday to try and claw back ground he’s lost.
Bryson DeChambeau scoffed at the idea he could have more 3D clubs printed for the weekend
‘I’ve just got to take what the golf course gives me, try to hit my irons better,’ he said.
‘I drove it left on numerous occasions, hit a great drive on 18 and wind didn’t hurt it like we thought, that’s this game, that’s the golf course.
‘Everybody has an ability to have weird things happen and today I didn’t have my irons under control,’ he lamented.
The lowest point of DeChambeau’s round was when he took three attempts to get out of a bunker, duffing his attempts.
It resulted in a triple bogey that seriously harmed his round and chances of competing with the leaders.
When asked about the bunker issue, he replied curtly: ‘The bunker was softer than I anticipated,’ opting not to elaborate.
At each of the last 20 Masters, the eventual champion has shot no worse than 72 in their opening round. After his meltdown on 11, DeChambeau carded a four-over-par 76.
To make matters worse for the American, his rival Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, enjoyed a stellar start.
The Northern Irishman is tied for the lead at five-under-par ahead of Friday’s second round.
DeChambeau took three attempts to get out of the bunker before ending the hole with a seven
DeChambeau’s fascination with 3D-printed clubs fits his ‘Mad Scientist’ moniker and he had previously unsuccessfully tried to get them cleared for use at the Masters.
The USGA has now approved his five iron, though it remains to be seen how effective the club will be.
Prior to the Masters starting, he said: ‘We’ll see where it goes. We’ll see where it takes me. All I could say now is, if I don’t put them (3D-printed clubs) in the bag, it’s my fault now.
‘There’s this nature that I have about myself where innovation is a habit of mine, and I really find and take pride in that ability to learn – even through failure, even through making a bad decision or a good decision – what can I get from that.’
