So what happened to Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters? By all accounts, he was one of the favorites going in, but he barely managed to finish in a 4-way tie for 34th. He was lucky to even make the cut.

DeChambeau did say he was suffering from dizziness and didn’t feel great… And then he managed to lose his ball on the 3rd hole at Augusta on Friday, finishing with a 74 for the day… He also seemingly blamed his caddie for his poor showing…

DeChambeau is one of the most polarizing players on the tour. Lots love him, maybe more hate him. (Brooks Koepka might have something to say here.) He tries to drive every green. He analyzes his putts to death and he’s been accused of slow play. His nickname is The Mad Scientist because of all the calculations he tries to apply to his game. He yells at camera men for focusing on him for too long. But love him or hate him, there’s no arguing he’s successful in the game and most likely will continue to be.

The lack of showing by DeChambeau is sure to add fuel to the fire that all of this analyzation and physics is tearing apart the very beauty of the game and that it won’t get you more wins.

There’s a lot of argument that golf is not meant to be mastered, it’s a game of skill and practice, tenacity and grit. There is truth to that, but I also think those fighting against what De Chambeau brings to the game are wasting their time. Over the years, in almost any sport, the human body has gotten bigger and stronger, capable of running faster, throwing farther, hitting harder, and sending golf balls 400 yards down a fairway. At some point all sports begin to change and adapt to new audiences, different players, advanced equipment. Golf isn’t exempt to these changes, no matter how much some people would like it to be.

I really feel, though, with Bryson DeChambeau, that we need more Happy Gilmore comparisons. I wonder how far he can hit a golf ball with a hockey stick…

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