It was the comment that landed him in hot water with Masters fans and aged terribly, but – 13 rounds later – Bryson DeChambeau finally shot below his interpretation of par at Augusta National.
Nearly three-and-half years after his infamous “par 67” remarks, the American LIV Golf star tore around the fabled course with an opening seven-under 65 to race into a one-shot lead at the 88th edition of the major.
Storms had delayed the start of the first round by two-and-a-half-hours, but the 30-year-old wasted little time finding his rhythm despite windy conditions, tearing out of the blocks with three birdies before powering home with five more across the final six holes.
It marks big-hitting DeChambeau’s best round at Augusta since he controversially claimed that he viewed the course as a “par 67” – five strokes below its official scorecard number – as he could “reach all the par-fives in two, no problem.”
The November 2020 comments had come just two months after the renowned long driver had boomed his way to a six-shot victory at the US Open to clinch his first major title but have served to haunt DeChambeau ever since.
He finished tied-46th on his next outing at the major and missed the cut at the subsequent two tournaments, shooting below two-over 74 just once – a second round 67 in 2021.
Now, the golfer once dubbed “the Scientist” for his willingness to test new technologies is owning up to old errors. Though insisting the comment had been misinterpreted, DeChambeau admitted they were a “mistake.”
“I have a level of respect for this golf course that’s a little bit different than a couple years ago,” he told reporters. “Clearly today was a great test of golf, and I was able to conquer a very difficult golf course today.
“Regarding the 67 comment, you mess up. I’m not a perfect person. Everybody messes up. You learn from your mistake, and that was definitely one.”
Asked whether his blistering opening round proved that there was some truth in his former remarks, a smiling DeChambeau questioned whether the reporter was attempting to “pigeonhole” him into doubling down on his contentious assessment.
“Look, I’m going to go out and try to shoot the best score I possibly can,” he continued. “Sure, if you want to line the math up that way, that is a perspective you can take. It was a perspective I had, and it cost me a lot of slack, I guess you could say. It definitely hurt some things.
“But look, I’ll say this again. I shot 65 today, and that was one of the best rounds of golf I’ve played in a long time. There’s three more days to go, and I’m not losing sight of that fact, that it’s right there in front of me. Just got to go execute.”
Ahead of the tournament, three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo had questioned Jon Rahm’s chances of defending the green jacket due to the relative lack of events on LIV Golf – whose 2024 season is comprised of 14 events played across 54 holes – compared to the PGA Tour.
Faldo told the Sky Sports Golf podcast that the Spaniard had “been playing resort courses in shorts for the past couple of months and hasn’t really been tested yet”, but DeChambeau – who joined the Saudi-backed tour in 2022 – has no concerns over his sharpness.
“That sort of schedule … has provided me good, ample time to get ready for tournaments like this,” said DeChambeau, chasing his second major title.
“It would be fine either way. I’m not going to side one way or the other. It is what is it. I just made good use of the time that I’ve been allocated on LIV to work on my golf swing, work on the equipment that I have, and getting to a place where I’m super comfortable going into the week.”
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Scheffler looking ominous as Woods makes solid start
Scottie Scheffler lived up to his billing as the tournament favorite with an ominously strong start, shooting a bogey-free 66 to keep within touching distance of his leading compatriot.
The world No.1 arrived at Augusta in scintillating form as he looks to add to his first and only major title he won at Augusta in 2022. The 27-year-old became the first player to ever defend The Players Championship last month, just one week after he had cruised to a dominant victory at The Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard could well overtake both Americans before his second round begins, having sat at five-under par before darkness suspended play with three of his holes left play at 7:51 p.m. ET.
He is one of several players who will finish their first rounds from 7:50 a.m. ET Friday, including Tiger Woods. The five-time champion opened with a birdie and was one-under through 13 holes, a strong start to the 48-year-old’s bid to set a new record for 26 consecutives cuts made at The Masters.
“The wind was all over the place. It was one of the most tricky days that I’ve ever been a part of,” Woods said.
“It was hard to get a beat not only on what direction it was going, but the intensity, and it kept switching all over the place … the timing was affecting putts on the greens. It was a very difficult day.”
In his 16th start at Augusta National, the Northern Irishman is a green jacket away from joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to win all four majors in the modern era.
Paired with Scheffler and world No.5 Xander Schauffele, who shot 72, the 34-year-old was pleased with his start.
“If you look at Scottie compared to the rest of the field, the amount of bogey-free rounds he plays and he shoots is phenomenal,” McIlroy, who won his fourth and most recent major in 2014, said.
“That’s the secret to winning major championships and winning big-time golf tournaments: more limiting the mistakes rather than making a ton of birdies.
“I made three bogeys today, which is fine out there in these conditions, but just need to tidy it up a little bit to try to keep up with him.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
