Michaux: Bryson DeChambeau not letting 'anomaly' on 18th get to him

To be the best player in any tournament, a golfer needs more than just proper skills. He needs the proper attitude.

Bryson DeChambeau is in his last week as an amateur, but his attitude heading into the weekend of the Masters Tournament is professional grade.

What was it like looking at the scoreboard late Friday afternoon and seeing himself in second only two shots behind defending champion Jordan Spieth?

“I belong,” DeChambeau said.

It’s that attitude and confidence that will help DeChambeau handle making a “de-shambles” of the 18th hole. Yanking two drives into an uncomfortable wind off the last tee led to a triple bogey that dropped him from tied for second to tied for eighth, four shots behind.

Instead of posting the lowest round of a difficult day by two strokes over Rory McIlroy and three others, DeChambeau settled for a second consecutive even-par 72.

But don’t expect the 22-year-old to lose too much sleep over it.

“Not tough at all,” DeChambeau said. “It’s just a golf shot. People think, ‘Oh, my gosh, he was nervous.’ No, I wasn’t nervous. I pulled two shots. It’s a disappointing factor. But again that’s golf.

“I had a great day. It was a nice walk in the park. Unfortunately it was sour at the end, but I can’t look at that. It is what it is. It’s just an anomaly, and it won’t happen tomorrow.”

DeChambeau is the most intriguing amateur to come along in years. He possesses an analytical mind and unusual philosophy on club setup that even has seasoned tour pros peeking into his bag to see his unique equipment.

But what makes the reigning NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion so compelling is his potential. He left Southern Methodist early to focus on a six-month unpaid “internship” in the global professional ranks and came away with five made cuts in five starts on three continents on both the European and PGA tours.

That, plus 12 practice rounds at Augusta National, had DeChambeau more prepared than most amateurs to contend rather than merely attend the Masters.

“The reason is because I was an intern for the past … six months,” he said. “Right around when I won the U.S. Amateur, I knew I had this time to get ready, and kind of what we were trying to do was take my rookie year out of it. I’ll still be a rookie, but at the same time that was our goal and I think we’ve done it so far beautifully.”

His peers on the Masters leaderboard certainly agree. Spieth, only three months older, came away from the first two rounds at Augusta singing his praises.

“He’s not scared of the moment,” Spieth said. “Doesn’t matter what the moment is. It was just one bad swing away on 18 from being the one that’s T2 or even tied for first. Look for him on the weekend. Like I said in here (Thursday), look for him on the weekend to be a contender.”

McIlroy played with DeChambeau on the weekend in Abu Dhabi and in the final round at Bay Hill and was impressed.

“I said to him on that last green, ‘If you keep playing like this, I’ll be seeing a lot more of you,’” McIlroy said.

That was music to DeChambeau’s ears and only enhanced his attitude coming to Augusta.

“It gave me some more confidence,” he said of McIlroy’s plug. “He was a gentleman to say that to me out there and I really appreciated it. It meant a lot to me, yeah.”

Few things would mean more to Augusta National than DeChambeau forgoing a $1.8 million winner’s check Sunday as he fulfills Bobby Jones’ dream of an amateur slipping on a green jacket. Ken Venturi and Billy Joe Patton made runs in the 1950s, and Ricky Barnes entered the weekend tied for third in 2003.

Even with two of the biggest names in golf heading off in the final pairing Saturday, DeChambeau is not intimidated or deterred from his goal.

And a rogue triple bogey at the last hole isn’t going to derail his confidence.

“Things like this have happened to him before,” said his mother, Jan DeChambeau. “Not at a major championship, of course, but he’s an amateur still. He’s not playing for money. He wants to win. He’ll rationalize the fact, ‘I’m only four out of the lead.’ I think he’ll come back tomorrow, be refreshed, totally forget about it and onward.”

An amateur has two rounds to go and only four shots and six other players separating him from the leader. He’s right where he believes he belongs.

“Yeah, I’m comfortable,” he said. “I’m loving it out here. It’s a great experience. I’m learning a lot from it. There’s nothing bad that I can take away from today. I may go bang my head a couple of times – no. But, again, 36 holes of golf left.”

Whatever happens, DeChambeau doesn’t want to hear about pride or moral victories or any such nonsense. He’s here to win or go down trying with his calculated style.

“I don’t want to be prideful in any situation,” he said. “That’s not good. I don’t like that statement. I would prefer more of a calm and understanding type of mentality. Again, if I can do that and be calm, understanding, I’ll have plenty of opportunities out there. And I think that I’m only four back. If I don’t play well over the weekend, I don’t play well. And if I do, I do. And if I do that – which I know I can – it will be a cool journey.”

With that kind of attitude, anything might be possible.