The Masters 2020: Can revolutionary Bryson DeChambeau break Augusta?

The silence will make this a Masters like no other. The way the noise usually reverberates through the trees on Sunday afternoon, the shouts that hang in the air around Amen Corner. For the players, this is the most special place in golf, but the atmosphere is going to be very strange this week. If anything, it’s going to feel more like a practice round, and it’s hard to say who that will favour most. 

Everything is going to be different, especially the course. I’ve spoken to guys this week who say there’s no roll out there, their drives are picking up mud on the ball, they’re having to take longer irons in. That’s unheard of when the tournament is usually played in April, when they’re usually so firm and fast. The name on everyone’s lips here is the same, though. Even with Tiger Woods coming back to defend after such a momentous victory, this Masters is all about Bryson DeChambeau, what he might do, and where it could lead.

Traditionally, the course has always favoured longer hitters, the likes of Tiger and Bubba Watson. And, in these conditions, the players who hit it high and carry it a long way are going to have a huge advantage. In practice, Bryson had 65-yards into the first green and an eight-iron into the par-five. The 11th is supposed to be a long par four, but I was told he hit a wedge in there. He’s making a mockery of the distances. 

If he can go out there and win by six or eight shots, it could change the way people come into the game. It could be a crucial moment in determining the sport’s future. After Tiger Woods blitzed the course in 1997, they had to try and put the tees further back. After this week, they might have to Bryson-proof it too. At this rate, I’m not too sure they even can. What he’s done in such a short space of time is astonishing. I actually can’t wait to see what he’s going to do. Will he use this 48” driver he’s been testing? Could he, in effect, break Augusta?

Read more: The Masters 2020 betting tips: Who is favourite to win at Augusta?

Either way, he’s already changed the landscape of the game and I know players like Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas - who are some of the longest hitters out there - are already experimenting with ways just to keep up. I remember speaking to Gary Player many years ago and he said: “eventually, they’ll find a 400 pound gorilla who can hit it 400 yards in a dead straight line and actually have a great touch.” Whether Bryson is an outlier or a sign of things to come could hinge on this week, and eventually the Tour might have to step in and do something, somehow, to reduce the distances.

There are, of course, a lot of long hitters who haven’t been successful at Augusta, though. It’s actually all about the second shot, the ability to control distance and keep it in the right quadrants of the greens. Obviously being long helps, but it’s the great iron players who really thrive here. 

I think there’s a group of about nine or so favourites heading into the week. Jon Rahm is a brilliant player, I fancy his chances. Patrick Cantlay, too, who won the Zozo Championship recently, is another really good ball striker. He’s maybe a bit of an outside bet, but Tyrrell Hatton is on fire at the moment, he certainly doesn’t take any prisoners, and he looks like he’s got the mindset of a major player, so I wouldn’t put it past him doing the business. 

Then you’ve got your usual candidates: Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele. I’m not saying this because I coach him a lot, but Patrick Reed is one of the very best players from inside 100 yards, he’s made a couple of changes to his swing and has won at Augusta before and you can’t put a price on that experience. 

Read more: The Masters 2020 tee times: Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy set to start at Augusta

I would find it very hard to put Tiger in that contender’s bracket. He’s not coming in with any form, he hasn’t played much, and as much as it was very emotional last year, you never know how his back is going to hold up. He’s very much an outsider this time, there’s no question about it.

It’s a bit of a different outlook for McIlroy, too. He has probably never come into the Masters so under the radar. There’s no question that when he’s on song, he’s one of the most talented players in the world, but it all depends on his putting. It’s the catalyst for everything else and Augusta is one of those courses where the pace and shape of the greens is so unforgiving. You’re going to end up with some six-foot putts for par and whereas for most players those are gimmes, Rory does go through phases where he stands over them and looks a bit iffy. I’d love to see him win the Grand Slam, but it all depends on the mood he comes in with and whether he can avoid putting excess pressure on himself like he did at Portrush last year.

In the end, though, in spite of all the ways this tournament will be so unrecognisable, it will still inevitably all come down to Amen Corner on Sunday. We saw last year how Tony Finau and Francesco Molinari’s hopes sunk in Rae’s Creek. If the breeze gets up there, your heart is in your mouth before you hit the ball, it plays havoc with your mind. There are so many swing holes as you come down the stretch. It’s going to take an experienced player to adjust to how different everything is and be able to go into their own world and handle that pressure. The silence will be deafening, and it’s just a matter of holding on.

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