MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2026

Bryson DeChambeau

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Very pleased to introduce Bryson DeChambeau to the interview room. Bryson, welcome back to Augusta National.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Thank you.

Q. You have played yourself into contention in back-to-back Masters. How has your approach to Augusta National changed over the years, and what has clicked for you recently?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It's a lot of learning. This place every year it seems like it changes just fractionally, just enough to keep ahead of us players that are trying to learn the golf course. So there's always something new that we're trying to figure out, whether it be a second shot -- excuse me, the 2nd hole, first shot, there's a tree on the left that's kind of moved over into our frame of view off the tee, and it's different.

So it's really cool to see the golf course move and adapt and us have to attack the golf course in unique and different ways.

I think over the past couple years it's really come down to the equipment that I have as well as a lot more patience. Since I have gratitude just being here, no matter if I'm contending or trying to make the cut or whatever it is, it just really is such an honor for me to get after this golf course and try to learn more.

Q. The average age of the last 20 winners has been 32 years old. How does it feel to be playing well and be 32 years old?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I mean, it's great. If that's the way the stats line up and they work in my favor, fantastic. I don't try to look too much into that and focus on what I can accomplish.

Obviously I'm playing well and I feel like my game's in the best place of its career, outside of maybe Greenbrier when I shot 58. Outside of that, I'm excited to get the week going and see where I can put myself.

Q. Bryson, it looked like you were trying out some new irons possibly when you were in South Africa and maybe didn't put them in play. Are you making any changes equipment-wise? Why do you seem so willing to make changes, even before big weeks, if you do?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I think it's the willingness to always try to improve. There's this nature that I have about myself where innovation is a habit of mine, and I really find and take pride in that ability to learn, even through failure, even through making a bad decision or a good decision, what I can get from that.

South Africa I was trying wedges. So I was going quite a bit down a rabbit hole there and figured a couple cool things out. Hopefully it helps this week. Then I am working on irons, building irons, building a driver. So we'll see where it goes, we'll see where it takes me. All I could say now is, if I don't put them in the bag, it's my fault now.

Q. Can you say what clubs they might be?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It's my own personal clubs I'm building.

Q. With Bettinardi or who?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: With myself, yeah.

Q. Bryson, I want to give you a chance to completely nerd out here for a moment. When you come to Augusta, just take us through one hole. What do you look for? What are you looking at? What are you observing that's different from the past year?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Great question. I'm always trying to understand different wind conditions, number one. And, two, I think a big part of me, especially after last year, trying to figure out more of my irons and sometimes where they spin more into the grain or into sort of grass positions we have on the golf course. It seems like they sometimes spin a little bit, and sometimes they almost knuckle.

So I think working on those shots. The second shot into 7 is one that I've messed up in the past, and I want to understand that and make sure I just hit the green. That's all I care about. If I hit it close and make birdie, great.

No. 9 has been a tough one in the past as well. 18, second shot. Those holes I'm really trying to understand more of, and that's mainly from just past experience of not being successful on those holes, whether it's wind conditions or how the golf club is going through the grass, trying to get maybe a little bit more bounce on the clubs to help it move through the turf a little better.

There's numerous things I'm working on always, and next year it will probably be different as well.

But coming out here, the test of the greens and the speed and the angles you want to have shots going into the hole. 3 is a great hole, for example. It depends on the wind and whatnot, but I might lay up short of the bunkers like I did last year and try to hit it to that left flag and give myself a 30-footer rather than get it up there and try to hit it on the green from 50 yards away with really no landing area.

For me it's a continual learning process. For me from a nerding-out perspective, it's really about the wind this year for me.

Q. Just curious, it's supposed to be sunny most of the week, low humidity, could be very firm and fast. Just curious your thoughts on how fast this play can get and how you approach playing in that?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, if it's firm and fast, the greens are going to be even more difficult to hit than they already are. Looking at it from a perspective of hitting the big parts of the greens and sometimes giving myself 30-footers, even though you feel like you're losing a quarter of a shot, kind of sticking up for yourself and going, no, this is a great shot, hitting it over here and having my caddie be on that same level.

That's what I did at Pinehurst that suited me so well. I was focused more on hitting in the middle of the greens. It may play in my favor. If my irons aren't doing what they should be doing, then it won't.

As I said, I feel really good. It's just about going out and executing.

Q. I'm curious how you reflect on last year? Obviously it was your best finish, but it wasn't what you wanted out of that final pairing. Kind of how have you looked back on it, and particularly that Sunday as you kind of prepare for this year?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It was a great learning lesson. Leading or being tied for the lead and having the lead, that last group final round, gave me a lot of perspective on it. Then losing it and having things not go my way as they finished out and Rory completed the grand slam.

Like I said, last year he earned it, right? It was really cool to see in person.

Secondarily, I think, as I reflect back on it, the one thing I can take from it is I can put myself in those positions. The more I put myself in those positions, the better opportunities I'm going to have to win. It's just been a gradual learning process. You never know what this week may bring, but I certainly hope to give it my all and put myself back in that position because I want to feel it again.

Q. Just your overall preparation. I know you took the trip to a course that kind of mimics the features here at Augusta. If you could just speak on that and maybe how that affected your play over the past couple of days.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Look, the YouTube video I shot in Texarkana was really cool. Byron Nelson back in the day was a club pro there for a while, and he always practiced out there, said it was good prep for the tournament.

Seeing some of the shot shapes, whether it be No. 8, the dogleg left, even the 18th hole, super dogleg left, and just seeing how tight and how much shot shaping capabilities you have was great. That was nice to see.

I think as I get out here this week, the preparation the past couple days has really been focused on wind and how I'm hitting my second shots into the greens. I feel like I'm driving it well, wedging it well, chipping it pretty well, putting it well. Iron play as well. But just making sure the numbers are correct and hitting my distances and missing in the right places when I need to.

Q. Other athletes in other sports, they watch film of their performances, like that's part of their process. Will you ever watch, whether it's around like Pinehurst and kind of see how you were carrying yourself, or around Sunday here last year when things didn't go your way?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I think it's a great way to do it. I'm not one that's ever looked at film. I've actually watched old Masters footage and see what people did then and how they felt and how they looked with old stars and old legends of the game. That's more fun than now for some reason, I don't know why.

For me it's about more the moment because every moment is so different. The wind could be coming off of a different angle, but can you learn from it? 100 percent. I just haven't gone that deep into it because everybody's game is so different, and that's the tough part.

Watching last year's film, I could do that, but for me I know what it felt like. I lived it. And I want to experience the opposite next time. So I'll be focused on that mainly.

Q. I ran into Ava Bresnahan, who was a part of the group of Drive, Chip and Putt kids you played with for a YouTube video in Texas. You got a chance to play with her at Augusta National. What was it like to play with her again, because she said you tied in a putting competition, and just being able to spend time with those guys from the weekend?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: What Augusta National is doing for the game of golf in general has really not been seen quite ever, with ANWA, DCP, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Latin America Amateur Championship. They're really growing the game globally. And I have a great respect for that. Whether it's on my YouTube channel or inspiring kids in a major championship, I see that as being my role and my responsibility, is to grow the game in that capacity.

We collaborated with DCP and did a great video earlier this year. It was at Frisco Farms, and it was a lot of fun. We had a great time. They beat me, the DCP players beat me. I was a little rusty and not playing my best, but it was fun to see Ava again. She made a 20-footer in my YouTube video on the first hole, and I was like this girl can putt, wow, really impressive.

Come to find out she did all right, did pretty well in putting, but struggled in other areas. It was a lot of fun to come back and see her and get to do a putting competition and hopefully give her a little bit of advice about the game of golf and life. I mean, that's ultimately what I feel like my responsibility is now to do is inspire these kids to not only understand how cool golf can be but what life can offer if you have the right perspective on it.

I certainly haven't had that in times past, and that's something I've learned. Hopefully those individuals, those kids can learn from my mistakes, and that's what I hope to do. Just seeing Ava out here and us doing a little putt-off and giving her a couple pieces of information, and she got really nervous and quick, and just saying, hey, settle down. It's all good. Go through your process. Go through your routine. And if you make or miss it, it's okay. It's not the end of the world. It doesn't define you.

So giving her those pieces of advice and really seeing what the DCP is doing for the game of golf and what Augusta National is doing for the game of golf just gives me so much respect and so much gratitude for where the game of golf is going.

Even with ANWA, being here for ANWA, and unfortunately watching Asterisk do what she did, I was unfortunately in that same sort of position last year, and I was able to give her a little bit of perspective on that. She's going to be a star. I've seen her grow up.

Back when I was at my old practice facility watching her hit golf balls, like she's going to be a star. She came out here and almost won, and she's going to win plenty of more other events. Just seeing what they're doing and inspiring the next generation of golfers is something I want to help be a part of.

Q. You made a huge improvement around the green here last year relative to previous years. We know it can be a challenge around here with some of the grain lies and the way it's mowed. I'm wondering if you chalk that up to something you did different technically or strategic, and you mentioned the new wedges, if there's something you're doing there with bounce or grind that's a furthering of what you improved on last year?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Around the greens, the 60 degree is pretty much the same. Hopefully it stays the same this year. I would say from a 50 degree and 55 degree perspective, there's a little more bounce on the wedge. So hopefully it glides through the turf a bit better. We'll see how that works. They're working well as of now. I played well in my last few events with them in soft conditions.

So I hope that's an attribute that will help me get to a better place with my wedging because everyone knows about my wedges.

Q. You talked about trying to figure out the course the last few years. What mental adjustments have you made in that span that have kind of helped you increase your results here?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I think focusing on hitting the bigger parts of the greens, making sure I'm missing it in the right places to certain flags is really what's adjusted my mindset in a positive way. In times past, I'd just be going right for the flag, and it quite honestly would get me in a lot of trouble.

I feel like I have my golf swing a little bit more under control than I have in years past, last year definitely until the last couple of rounds when it started to go a little awry. I think I know what that is now, and hopefully I can overcome that.

But from a strategic perspective, it's more of mentally focusing on where to be and being more patient in a sense, not going after everything.

Q. In I think 2020 you came in as the favorite or close to the favorite and kind of struggled here the last three or four years, then the last two years had really good finishes. What changed from those four years to these last two years? Is it physical? Mental? Strategy? What was the change there?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It's a combination of a lot of things, but for one I can say, it's the equipment. Two, it's the mentality. Yeah, those are really the two biggest things, I'd say.

Three, you could say my body figure is a little slimmer. Maybe I don't run out of breath as much out there. But other than that, those two are the biggest things for me.

Q. What do you mean by mentality?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: More patience, like not as aggressive all the time. Knowing where to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive. Those are the things. Making better decisions, having a caddie that reins me in sometimes: Bryson, you don't need to do that. There's no need.

Q. Bryson, going back to your conversation on Saturday with Asterisk, can you share a little bit about what you told her and why you decided to do that?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, again, knowing her and seeing her practice around me quite a bit when she was younger, I felt like it was a great opportunity to come out and support her, knowing where she was and that she was playing very well. Also, if she won, there to support her. If she lost, there to help her.

I felt like it was an opportunity that I could show her a different side of golf. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and the losses can be really difficult. But it's just not what defines you. That was the message I gave her. This is not going to define you. If anything, this is going to almost give you an opportunity to show who you truly are.

It's more important to show who you truly are in the losses than the wins. If you have the ability to inspire kids around you, I essentially said look at all the people out there waiting for to you sign autographs. If you can go out there and sign those autographs, it's more impactful than even winning the tournament sometimes. I know that from experience.

Albeit, it's great to win and we all want to win, there's more to the game. Don't let this define you because you're going to have an unbelievable career. This is the start of something special.

Those are the words I gave her. There was more that I said that I won't talk about obviously, but that was the gist of it. I felt it was the right time to do it. Again, it's not like I'm -- I mean, I was focused on just helping her out. I didn't want anything from it other than to help her out.

Q. Patrick Reed said yesterday that he felt like there were probably 10 to 12 players this week who had a legitimate chance of winning. I'm curious how you would assess that number?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I don't even know. I don't think in those terms. I just focus on executing my golf swing to the best of my ability. Yeah, sure, you can put those numbers out there. I hope I'm one of those 12. That would be nice.

There's so many things that happen in the game of golf -- a gust of wind, a bad bounce, a nice shot that just rolls over the left side and you get a bad lie or something happens and you don't get up-and-down. A couple shots swing here and there just off of one little gust.

So I can't really say how many people are legitimately going to have a chance to win this week, but I know every single one of these people in this field has made it here for a certain reason. All the way back to 2016, after 35 holes I was close to leading the tournament as an amateur. I played with Jackson today, an amateur, and he's got an unbelievable game, same ball speed as me. If he catches fire, he could be doing that too.

I really don't know about that. It's more of who's going to execute the shot when it matters most.

Q. Saw that outpour of emotion in South Africa after your win, and you said you didn't want to get into what --

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I can't talk about it.

Q. In lieu of asking you to elaborate, you said your game is in the best place of its career. Do you feel emotionally kind of like that, that pairs up, that you feel kind of --

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I would say the emotion, even in South Africa, it almost did spur me on in a sense to have a lot of passion around going out and doing the best I could. It also got my mind off of it too, which is great.

But I feel like I found something that allows me to be the best of myself, where I've got a little bit of a fire in my belly but an ability to have respect for where I'm at in life and a comfort of knowing where I'm at in life.

Knowing that golf is a big deal, there's no question this week's a big deal, but it's not everything in life. There's more to it than that. As I've gotten older, I've learned that, sometimes the hard way, sometimes in different manners the easy way.

It certainly was nice to be in a weird emotional state and accomplish winning a tournament against Jon Rahm. I mean, it was crazy having the South Africans sing their national anthem as I'm trying to get up-and-down to tie Jon Rahm. That was a wild one. I've never had that happen. But being able to do that under that amount of pressure and then beat Jon in the playoff was really cool.

It was awesome and emotional. It was a long week, a long three weeks. You're on the road for three weeks. And back-to-back wins. There was a lot that went on that week. It was cool to feed off of that. Hopefully I can pull some of that in this week and feed off of that.

Q. The 13th tee is so secluded from the patrons, the cameras, the overall tournament buzz. For those who will never have that experience of that portion of the course, what is it like? What do you see? What do you feel? Is there a way that you utilize that space?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I would say, one, it's serene, it's peaceful. It's an opportunity to gather yourself amidst the buzz of the tournament. I think it allows us to take a mini break. If something didn't go well on 12 or 11 and whatnot, it kind of settles you in for the rest of the round.

It's a nice space. It's a really fun space to go back to and be around all the azaleas, and I think there's a couple dogwoods back there. It's fun. I'm a nature guy. I like knowing what's back there. It's fun.

Q. I feel like every time I go on YouTube, my algorithm is serving me up unearthed footage of Moe Norman, unearthed footage of Ben Hogan hitting balls. I'm wondering if you've thought at all about that you are leaving kind of a historical record for 20 years from now someone can -- we'd kill for more footage of Norman hitting balls, of Hogan hitting balls, if you think about that ever of I'm leaving a much longer tail of what ball striking was or golf science was in this era?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I think there's a bit of history to that. I remember going on YouTube for the first time, and it was 2009, '10, '11, when some first videos of Hogan emerged on YouTube and watching -- there was a channel called Hogan's Mystique, and I would watch it on repeat as I was doing my homework. I would study and analyze it as I was doing algebra or whatever I was doing, reading, it didn't matter. I probably should have been more focused on my schoolwork, but those videos were a lot of fun to watch.

I think, as I've moved through my career, I've realized winning tournaments is amazing. It's a lot of fun. It's an incredible dopamine hit. It's an incredible accomplishment. Like I said, there's more to life than that, and if I can leave a positive impact, whether it's what I'm doing in business now, whether it's how I play or how I conduct myself -- and I'll be the first to say I'm not the most perfect example. I've messed up a lot in my career. But as I continue to improve and move in that capacity, I do feel there's a bit of historical relevance that can happen through YouTube.

As well as you see other people doing it. It's great what Jason Day is doing. I was talking to him about the lads and what he's doing on YouTube. There's a massive market out there to help grow the game of golf, not dissimilar to what the Masters is doing in growing the game of golf. I think there's a likeness to it and a similarity to it, and I think they serve their purposes in really cool ways.

Q. Jack Nicklaus would say that to play this course the best way would be to hit it right in the middle of the greens on 17 of the 18 holes. You just talked about it kind of earlier on about aiming to the middle of the greens, and you mentioned patience. Is it patience, or is it something else? Is it blind obedience to doing what you're supposed to do to the best you can?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: There is a sense of obedience that you kind of have to have out here, I have to agree with that. But it truly is patience because it gives you the opportunity to go for it. It makes you feel like -- Dr. MacKenzie and Mr. Jones, obviously, had this want to design golf courses in a way where they pulled you in and made you want to go for the flag even though you probably shouldn't.

I think that's where the greats of the game and the legends of the game have learned to be patient, and you said obedient, I guess that's a word you could use. But really patient and hit the center of the green. When Jack says that, especially with what he's done for the game of golf, you listen.

Q. Going back to you talked about playing with Jackson today and also your conversations with Asterisk, with how busy your schedule has become and all the different things you're doing outside the game of golf, why have you left the amateur game such an important part of your career?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Because Bobby Jones was an amateur his whole entire career, and that's how this place was founded. With Mr. Roberts and Mr. Jones, I think there's an inherent love and respect for where we began.

Being a U.S. Amateur champion, NCAA champion, I'm not here without the amateur game. I think it's so important to keep that as a -- not only an important pathway, but an opportunity for others to experience and play this great game at somewhat of a close level to us professionals. It's a segue, it's a pathway to the professional side.

If we don't focus on it, if we forget our history, if we forget where we've come from, our future is not too bright. For me, it's a no-brainer. It's a responsibility to give back as much as I can to the amateur game, whether it's on the men's side, women's side, or just junior golf.

I'll never forget being at River Bend Golf Club -- it's now called Dragonfly -- having a chance to hit in front of -- I think it was 30-some-odd professionals at the SaveMart Shootout at a clinic in front of Peter Jacobsen and Sign Boy, and I hit three drives and striped them all and hit them right next to each other. Most of the TOUR pros came up to me, signed my hat, and said I'll see you on TOUR one day.

That left a massive impact on me, not only as a junior golfer, but as it permeated to NCAAs and U.S. Amateur and wanting to give back to kids at those moments and realizing now my place in the game and saying, okay, this is now my responsibility to give back.

Why do I feel that? It's because of everything that's led up to this point and everything I've experienced really.

Q. One of the things that made last year so great was the battle you had with Rory. Do you see your relationship with him as a rivalry? If so, do you really enjoy it?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I mean, it's great if we can continue to have a rivalry. I don't see any problem with that. If anything, it kind of helps create more buzz around the game of golf.

Do I respect him as an individual? 100 percent. Do I want to beat him every time I see him? Absolutely. There's no question about it. But I think that's what's so brilliant about the game of golf is that juxtaposition, having that sportsmanlike respect and then wanting to just absolutely beat the living you know what out of him.

It's one of those things like I got him at Pinehurst, he got me here, and I hope there's more of those to come because it's great for the game.

Q. Did you walk away last year thinking I know what I need to do now and I'd love another chance, if not against him, but just in general at the Masters?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, definitely.