Bryson DeChambeau feeling the Masters love from fans as YouTube channel swings the Augusta mood

Bryson DeChambeau has credited his YouTube channel with boosting his popularity.

The Masters leader heading into day two has proved a divisive figure in the past, partly thanks to claiming the Augusta National course was a "par 67" for him. But the LIV Golf star, who shot an impressive 65 to finish seven under for the first round as storms delayed the start of the Georgia major, has enjoyed a much warmer reception than usual from patrons.

And despite being a US Open champion, it's not necessarily for his golf on the course. DeChambeau's YouTube channel is proving a hit, helping him reach a larger and younger audience, who are seeing a different side to the 30-year-old. His channel has over half-a-million subscribers, with videos of him attempting various challenges with some of his big name peers regularly getting between 200,000 and 700,000 views, breaking the 1million mark on occasion. And those numbers could go through the roof if he can maintain his form and claim the green jacket.

“I’m just learning to be myself and continue to be ok with what happens," he said. "From my perspective, what's been really nice and helpful for me is doing a lot of content on YouTube.

"As crazy as it sounds, it’s been really awesome to see how I can affect a lot of people's lives. Junior golfers' lives, even middle-aged men are coming and shouting ‘thank you for all the content, appreciate what you do online.’ It’s pretty cool to see that transformation and change. I dunno, I have a new perspective on life with that.”

And it's not just YouTube where he's getting positive feedback from fans. he added: "I mean, it's crazy, I've gotten a crazy amount of love on Snapchat. Getting over like a million views a day on Snapchat and these people