Infomastaro

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

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The first round of The Masters has officially been completed, and Bryson DeChambeau didn't have the sort of performance he wanted.

He explained his concerning start and the use of that special 3D-printed iron during an interview on Thursday.

The 32-year-old currently sits in a tie for 57th with a 4-over 76, and has some work to do if he wants to make the cut and climb the leaderboard at Augusta National Golf Club. In particular, his round was upended by a triple-bogey on the 11th hole, better known as "Amen Corner," as he needed three shots to get out of a greenside bunker.

On the sixth hole, he accidentally hit the ball into a patron, which brought a stunned reaction from DeChambeau, who offered the man he hit a golf ball for the incident.

The LIV golfer made headlines ahead of the tournament's start due to his unprecedented use of a 3D-printed 5-iron for this weekend's event. When it came to his opening round, the use of that particular club actually achieved a successful shot on the seventh hole at the course, the only time he used it on the day.

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Bryson Dechambeau at first round of The Masters at Augusta National

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DeChambeau answered questions from reporters after the disappointing opening to his tournament, explaining how things went for him overall. One reporter asked him how he felt the 4-iron did for him, and that seemed to be a bright spot.

"Good. It was great on seven," he said. "Hit a good second shot, and wind didn't hit it off to the left. Irons are still something I have to work on," he said, also saying he was satisfied with how it worked for him."

He then explained the process to create a 3D iron, indicating "it prints in eight hours and then machines in another three or four hours, then you have to cut grooves in it and a bunch of other stuff."

"You can have something in a day and a half," he said, before responding to a question suggesting he might create another one for the weekend.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "It has to be USGA-conforming. There's a whole process you have to go through."

DeChambeau indicated he was heading into the next round of The Masters with the mentality of "gonna give what the course gives [him]."

"I've gotta hit my irons better. I mean, that was- drove it left numerous occasions. Did a great job on 18, wind didn't hurt it like we thought. That's this game. That's the golf course, you know? Everybody has an ability for weird things to happen, and today I just did not have my irons under control," he told reporters.

After winning LIV Golf Singapore and LIV Golf South Africa last month, he went into this year's tournament among the favorites to contend for the win along with other top stars, including two-time winner Scottie Scheffler and last year's Green Jacket winner, Bryson DeChambeau.

However, DeChambeau dropped considerably since that opening round and will likely need to put on quite a performance on Friday to gain ground on the leaderboard.

For more about The Masters and golf, visit Newsweek Sports.

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