Bryson DeChambeau -- Nothing but respect for Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — At the 2020 Masters, Bryson DeChambeau famously said his strategy would be to play Augusta National as a par-67 course because he was hitting the ball so far off the tee.

DeChambeau didn't come close to that number that year, tying for 34th. The next year, he finished over par in three of four rounds and tied for 46th. In 2022, he was 12 over after 36 holes and missed the cut.

Does DeChambeau regret making those comments?

«Do I regret? Everybody has a perspective on it,» DeChambeau said Monday. «I don't think I regret anything. What I do understand is that I have a lot of respect for the course. Because of that statement, [people] think I don't have respect for the course. Are you kidding me? This is one of the greatest golf courses in the entire world, and if anybody thinks I don't have respect for the course, they'd better go check out who I actually am because it's not accurate one bit.»

Before the 2020 Masters, which was played in November because of COVID-19 restrictions, DeChambeau boasted: «I'm looking at it as a par 67 for me because I can reach all the par-5s in two, no problem. If the conditions stay the way they are, that's what I feel like par is for me. That's not me being big-headed. I can hit it as far as I want to ...»

In hindsight, DeChambeau said he wishes he would have explained his feelings differently.

«Hypothetically, theoretically, look, if you make 18 birdies it's going to be 54, right?» DeChambeau said. «It's a perfect score, right? Unattainable, 67 every day, unattainable. It can happen, but is it likely to happen? Probably not. With the distance I'm hitting it and was hitting it, I thought there was a possibility, but that's only with your 'A' game, and I should have rephrased