Masters 2026: Bryson DeChambeau's week in Augusta could be over early if this historic stat holds true

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s a stat Bryson DeChambeau isn’t going to want to hear, but an obstacle he’s going to have face: No player has ever made a triple bogey and gone on to win that year’s Masters. The two-time U.

S. Open champion may well be resigned to history then after the mess he made out of the par-4 11th during Thursday’s opening round at Augusta National. Even par for the day as he stood on the 11th tee, DeChambeau pumped his drive 347 yards down the right side of the fairway.

But his approach shot flew on him, landing in the front right bunker. And then he needed three swings to get on to the green. A triple-bogey 7 left him reeling, and with two more bogeys coming in, DeChambeau signed for a four-over 76, a disappointment considering the confidence he was carrying coming into the event after winning his last two starts on the LIV Golf circuit.

“The bunker was softer than I anticipated,” DeChambeau said by way of explanation for his troubles on the 11th. More telling though was his lament about his iron play, an aspect of his game that has led to frustrating finishes at a handful of majors of late, including last year’s Masters. “Everybody has an ability for weird things to happen, and today I just did not have my irons under control, which is weird.