For Bryson, practice paying off with Masters run

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- After opening the 89th Masters with a 3-under 69, which left him four strokes behind leader Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau hit another 150 balls or so at Augusta National Golf Club's practice area Thursday.

Since arriving at the course Tuesday, DeChambeau has hit more than 800 balls during practice sessions -- about three times as many as Rory McIlroy and four times as many as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

"It was just my iron play, trying to get my stock draw in there," DeChambeau said of the Thursday session. "Felt like I was leaving the face open a little bit, so [I] worked on some sequencing stuff, some face angle stuff."

At one point Thursday, DeChambeau was doing an upper-cut exercise that resembled a topspin shot in ping-pong.

"That's just what I want to feel in my golf swing," he said.

The reigning U.S. Open champion finally felt that sensation on the fifth hole of his second round Friday, which helped him post a 68 that left him one stroke behind leader Rose with a 36-hole total of 7 under.

On the par-3 fourth hole, DeChambeau pulled his tee shot into a left greenside bunker. He holed out from 36 feet for his second birdie of the round.

On the par-4 fifth, DeChambeau ripped a 359-yard drive down the right side of the fairway. He knocked his approach to 8 feet and made another birdie to move to 3 under.

The LIV Golf League captain made another birdie by reaching the par-5, 570-yard eighth hole in two and two-putting from 20 feet.

"On the fifth hole, I said to myself, 'I've got to feel something that's a little different,'" DeChambeau said. "And lo and behold, I think I just started to integrate more of an up-and-down motion, and that just felt more comfortable to me."

DeChambeau carded seven straight pars after the eighth hole, including a pair of important up-and-downs on Nos. 10 and 11. He gained more than three strokes on the field around the green and nearly two strokes putting Friday, according to DataGolf.com.

"I was able to save this round with my wedges and some huge key putts," DeChambeau said. "Getting up-and-down on 10 was one of the better up-and-downs of my life."

DeChambeau's only bogey of the round came on the par-3 16th, when he left his tee shot short and left of the green. He bounced back with a 19-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th.

After missing two straight cuts at the Masters, DeChambeau's breakthrough came last year. He had a one-shot lead over Scheffler after the first round and shared the lead with Scheffler and Max Homa after the second. But then DeChambeau hit a ball into the water on No. 15 and made double-bogey in the third round. He trailed Scheffler by four strokes after 54 holes and finished tied for sixth at 2 under.

"You have to put yourself in position," DeChambeau said. "You have to fail. You have to lose. You have to win. You have to come from behind. You have to hold the lead. All those expectations and feelings have to get conquered in your mind. That's why this game is played between your ears."

DeChambeau was back at the practice area Friday. About two hours after his round ended, he had already hit another 115 balls for the day.

DeChambeau said he'll probably go through 15 to 20 swing thoughts during a range session and about 100 in a week at tournaments.

"Maybe more sometimes, if I'm really trying to find something," he said. " I've got a lot going on up in there. You wouldn't want to be in there."