Bryson DeChambeau insists his reduced LIV Golf League schedule does not hamper his hopes of challenging for victory at The Masters.
DeChambeau is one of 12 players from the LIV Golf League circuit featuring at Augusta National, live on April 10-13 on Sky Sports, with the two-time major champion looking to build on last year’s dramatic US Open success at Pinehurst.
The dozen all feature in this week’s LIV Golf League event in Miami, just their fifth tournament of the season, with DeChambeau only competing in one 72-hole tournament – a runner-up at the International Series event in India – since missing the cut at The Open last July.
“I think that everybody has their own prep work that they do,” DeChambeau said. “For me personally, I like having time off, getting ready for these events, focusing on them, and getting my game into a good place, getting a strategy and game plan set up.
“If anything, I think it’s been a tremendous help for me personally, giving myself a little bit more time to get ready for these events, and it’s honestly been a blessing for me.
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“My prep starts the first tournament of the year, whatever that is. I kind of see where my game is at and kind of go off that and iterate off of it. I really start to heighten my focus probably two, three weeks before the start of the major season, and I get prepped in that kind of capacity.”
The world No 19 is joined by seven former Masters champions from LIV Golf – Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson – while Tyrrell Hatton, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann and Cameron Smith are also set to feature.
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DeChambeau held a share of the halfway lead before fading to a tied-sixth finish last season, with the American looking to build on that performance and challenge for a second major in as many years.
“I was so grateful to be there and having fun and competing and being at the top of that leaderboard,” DeChambeau explained. “You’re always going to feel nerves, no matter what tournament you’re in and especially in majors.
“So yeah, was I feeling pressure? Yeah. Was I doing it for all of LIV? Sure, you can say that. For me, I’m just out there trying to win a golf tournament, and if that does great for LIV, then that’s awesome.
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“But for me, you’re still just out there trying to win a golf tournament, and whatever comes from that is awesome.”
DeChambeau was criticised in 2020 after referring to Augusta National – for him – as a par-67 course because of his ability to reach all the par-fives in two shots, something he referred to as a “mistake” during last year’s contest.
The 31-year-old posted a top-21 finish as an amateur during Danny Willett’s victory in 2016 but failed to better that result in his next six visits, with his top-six finish last year following successive missed cuts the previous two years.
“I think every year that you go to Augusta and The Masters, you’re learning more and more, and that place is a special place that requires a lot of patience,” DeChambeau added.
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“You’re not going to get it all the time your first time around, second, third, fourth. It takes time to understand the nuances of that place. It’s a very tricky, intricate place, and that’s why I think it’s just an accumulation of a lot of factors coming into play.
“I have a driver that’s worked pretty dang well now and I’ve used it for quite a bit. That’s been a tremendous asset. I think over the course of time, it’s just going to be one of those games of learning little bits here and there to get in small places just a little bit better every single time.”
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When is The Masters live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will be showing record hours of live coverage from the 2025 contest, where Scheffler returns as defending champion, including more action over the final two rounds than previous years.
Wall-to-wall coverage from the tournament begins at 2pm on Thursday, with Featured Group action and regular updates from around the course available to enjoy on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast window begins at 8pm.
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The same timings will apply on Friday, while a new addition to this year’s coverage sees a Masters build-up show live from 3pm over the weekend ahead of full coverage starting at 5pm, covering all the action until after the close of play.
On Sky +, Sky Q and Sky Glass there will be lots of extra action via the red button on the Sky Sports Golf channel, providing plenty of bonus feeds and allowing you to follow players’ progress through various parts of Augusta’s famous layout.
Who will win The Masters? Watch from April 10-13 live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round begins with Featured Groups on Thursday April 10, from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
