AUGUSTA, Ga. – Bryson DeChambeau was a little skeptical when he first agreed to his own YouTube golf channel. Too intrusive? Too much work, he wondered?
He didn’t realize at the time it would help him rediscover his love for the game — and help his mental toughness, too.
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In his series of unscripted videos, the two-time U.S Open winner tries to break 50 playing with different celebrities like Tom Brady, John Daly and Tony Romo on the channel. He attempts to do the same with some cheaper versions of golf clubs purchased on discount websites likes Amazon and Temu. He’s even attempted to break course records at places around the country he has never played before.
“YouTube golf has made me feel like a kid again,” DeChambeau said Friday at Augusta National.
DeChambeau seems to be more relaxed these days, and enters the weekend in the hunt for his first Masters title at 7-under 137 after 36 holes.
He has gone to great lengths to change his image and brand, and the channel has helped boost his fanbase amid his move to Saudi-backed LIV golf.
“When I started out, I was like, man, this is going to be a lot of work,” DeChambeau said. “And once we started putting in challenges that were fun and interesting and different, it kind of made me feel like I was that, you know, 11-, 12-year-old going out with your friends and just trying to play as good as you can and do something crazy and different.”
DeChambeau's channel is a little crazy and different — and well received.
It has more than 1.82 million subscribers.
While DeChambeau is shown laughing and hamming it up with friends like Matthew Stafford and even President Donald Trump, he also believes the inherent challenge of trying to break a certain score or course record has strengthened his mindset in competitive events.
The mindset is simple: There is a goal out there and he has to hit it.
“As a kid, you get another club if your hand, OK, maybe it’s not perfect but you have to figure out a way to get it done,” DeChambeau said.
The 31-year-old DeChambeau got it done Friday.
After his tee shot on the par-3 fourth hole landed in the bunker on the left side of green — causing him to let out an “oh golly” on the tee box — he regathered himself and holed a difficult chip from the sand.
That birdie led to another on the difficult fifth hole, where he striped his drive 369 yards down the middle of the fairway.
He added another birdie on the eighth and made the turn at 4-under 32. His only bogey came on the par-3 16th hole, but he bounced back with a birdie on 17 and finished with back-to-back rounds in the 60s (69-68) at the Masters for the first time in nine years.
A year ago, DeChambeau opened the Masters with a 65 to take the 18-hole lead.
He failed to break par the rest of the week, shooting 73-75-73 and finished tied for sixth place. This year, he has spent more time working on putts longer than 50 and 60 feet and practiced well into the night Thursday at Augusta National on his iron game.
He's plenty confident his win last year at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst will help prepare him for the challenges that remain ahead this weekend.
He said the experiences gained from his golf channel won't hurt, either.
“When I am doing the course record series, it’s focusing my brain up to the maximum extent," DeChambeau said. “So it’s not like it’s costing me a lot of energy and I’m not gaining much out of it. I’m actually focusing myself and saying, hey, you’re on camera, you have to execute. There’s nothing else you can do besides play your absolute best.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf