Bryson DeChambeau still trusts the numbers

Bryson DeChambeau, the PGA Tour’s “mad scientist” because of his analytical approach to the game, held court Monday in the interview room at Augusta National Golf Club’s Press Building.

The former SMU physics major talked baselines, relative percentages, parameters, launch conditions and the fact that all his irons are the same length.

There was also talk of his winning the Masters Tournament in this, his third appearance. He knows he can do it because he said he was prepared to win as a rookie in 2016.

“I’d say the coolest part of that experience was being able to step up on that tee with everyone thinking I’m pretty darned nervous and I get up there and I just smiled because I was prepared,” he said. “I had played over a dozen rounds here in 2016 and was really, I thought, ready to win the tournament. I had a chance to win it and I knew I did and after 35 holes I was right there.”

DeChambeau was among the leaders when he went to No. 18 in the second round, but made a triple bogey after an errant tee shot found a holly bush. He’d opened with 72 and was 3-under for his second round after 17 holes. After the triple, he ended up with another 72 and was four shots out of the 36-hole lead. He eventually tied for 21st.

“Unfortunately, that holly bush, from the last hole, the 36th hole of the tournament, kind of cost me a little bit, but other than that it was a fantastic ride and being the low amateur champion was fantastic,” he said.

He didn’t qualify in 2017 before tying for 38th last year and winning three times on the PGA Tour, starting with the Memorial in June. He’s already won once this season on the PGA Tour and once on the European Tour.

The weather forecast is not in DeChambeau’s favor this week. Augusta National was already soft, rain suspended Monday’s practice round, and more is expected today.

“If you give me firm conditions out there, I’ll have a very good chance. Soft conditions, we’re still working on. We haven’t figured that out just yet,” he said.

Also not in his favor is the way Augusta National runs the Masters. DeChambeau and his caddie, Tim Tucker, have to work harder to be prepared this week because many of the tools they use at other tournaments are not allowed here. Those include green-reading books and TrackMan (radar technology that captures data points about club and ball) during practice rounds.

“My dedication to figuring things out is the exact same,” DeChambeau said. “What I’m able to sometimes figure out is not as much as other places, but that’s OK. Because if we can figure this stuff out in a way that’s allowable, then that’s a huge advantage for us. I think that I prepare as much as I possibly can that’s allowed here, and I believe that my preparation is a little more intense, I would say.

“That’s a part of the process, and I think the person who digs it out of the dirt the most should have a little bit of an advantage and I think that’s where it’s actually a positive thing,” DeChambeau said.

He said he and Tucker can get a lot of their work done on the practice range at Augusta National.

“So we don’t necessarily need it on the course,” he said.

Among the factors that DeChambeau takes into consideration before hitting an iron shot is yardage, wind direction and speed, trajectory, firmness values, speed and spin rates on the ball and air density.

Asked how he and Tucker calculate air density -- which involves temperature, relative humidity, pressure and altitude -- before they hit an iron shot, DeChambeau wasn’t so forthcoming.

“Well, that’s secret, partner,” he said. “Not going to let that one go.”