Bryson DeChambeau sets himself apart at Masters, uprooting signpost for perfect shot

AUGUSTA, GA. – Bryson DeChambeau may win the Masters, or he may get kicked out of the tournament for defacing Augusta National property. Or both.

With DeChambeau, rules are made to be broken. Friday, in the second round of the Masters, he revealed just how different he is from the average golfer.

He hit a record-long drive.

He talked about inventing and 3-D printing his own irons, and racing to get them approved in time for the Masters.

And he yanked a massive signpost out of the ground to clear the way for an unconventional shot, a reminder that when he gained 50 pounds, he never said exactly what he was lifting.

On the famed par-5 13th hole at Augusta National, he hit his drive into the trees on the right side of the fairway. Blocked from a direct shot at the green, he decided to play to the right, down the 14th fairway — a rare-to-unheard-of strategy.

There was a large signpost in the way. So DeChambeau pulled it out of the ground.

Then, he played his shot, hit his third shot onto the green and made the birdie putt. He shot a 73 to tie for the lead at the Masters with Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler at 6-under.

Masters leaderboard

“Yeah, I picked up the signpost,” he said. “I was trying to direct people. Trying to get people to go to the restrooms.

“Look, for me, it was the only option — pretty much the only option. I was looking at an opportunity to hit it back into the 13th fairway, and look, it would have only led me 200 yards in, something like that, and I knew I could hit one around the corner down 14 fairway and have a 140-to 150-yard shot in.

“So I decided to do that, and the patrons were nice enough to move over to the side to make sure it was wide enough so if I hit one errant, nobody would get hit by the ball.”

On the 17th hole, which is uphill, DeChambeau hit his drive 372 yards, a record for that hole.

After the round, in the interview room, DeChambeau was asked for details about his mystery irons.

He used to play Cobra golf clubs but parted ways with the company. He had always wanted irons that would help correct his mishits and discovered that irons bolstered by bolts would create the “gear effect” he desired.

He couldn’t find a name-brand builder to make them. So he worked with a lesser-known builder, Avoda, which attained DeChambeau’s design via 3D printing.

DeChambeau’s attempts to get the irons approved for tournament play failed until he adjusted the grooves. He was cleared to play them earlier this week. They are a one-off set, and he used them to shoot a 65 in the first round, followed by Friday’s 73.

• Former Gopher Erik van Rooyen shot a 76 in the second round. He made the cut and is three over par for the tournament. He had withdrawn with an injury and missed the cut in his two previous Masters appearances.

Asked if these were the most difficult conditions he had ever played in, because of intense wind, he said, “Yes.”