DeChambeau starts strong at Masters with 3-under 69

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Bryson DeChambeau hit 658 practice shots on the range starting Tuesday until teeing off Thursday for the first round of The Masters.

Evidently, it wasn't enough.

"I feel like I've got a golf swing that is favorable right now; it's just not dialed in like I want it to be," the Crushers GC captain said after shooting a 3-under 69 in Rd. 1. "I need to go work on that a little bit and get comfortable for tomorrow."

RELATED: LIV Golf's Masters Notebook | Tee times | Inside story on Smith's blue blazer

It was good enough, however, to leave the reigning U.S. Open champion in a favorable spot to make a move towards his first green jacket.

DeChambeau ended the day tied for fifth with fellow LIV Golf player Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII. They are four shots behind first-round leader Justin Rose, who shot a 7-under 65. Defending champion Scott Scheffler is in a three-way tie for second after shooting a 4-under 68.

DeChambeau’s seven birdies were just one shy of Rose’s field-leading eight, but he also suffered four bogeys. No wonder he described his round as “a little up and down.”

A year ago, DeChambeau opened with the same score as Rose, a 65 to grab the outright lead after 18 holes. But he could not break par in his final three rounds. Still, he tied for sixth, his best career finish in eight starts at Augusta National.

He’ll be in chase mode when he tees off at 10:15 a.m. ET on Friday.

“It’s a great start, anytime you’re under par at the Masters,” DeChambeau said. “It’s an honor to be there, give myself a good chance going into the weekend. Tomorrow is going to be another great test.”

Although his swing wasn’t dialed in, he still led the field in driving distance with a 340.5-yard average, 15 yards better than the next player on the list, 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson. He also hit 11 of 14 fairways.

It was his irons that proved a bit troublesome, especially on his approach shots into the par-4 fifth and the par-4 seventh, which led to two of his bogeys. The second shot at the seventh had a little mud on his ball and he admitted he “didn’t account for that as well as I could.”

All-in-all, it’s a good start and he enjoyed the day. As he answered post-round questions, he looked across Augusta National and stopped to take in the postcard-perfect setting.

“I appreciate the questions but it’s beautiful right now,” he said. “Look at that. It’s glowing.”

Then he was off to the range. Practice shot No. 659 awaits.