DeChambeau Finds First Aid Tent With First Drive Back From Injury

Bryson DeChambeau is playing in his first competitive tournament for nearly two months at the WGC-Match Play. However, things didn’t get off to the best start for the American.

DeChambeau is known for his booming drives, but when you combine their sheer power with misdirection, it can lead to problems. So that proved as he teed it up on the first hole at Austin Country Club. DeChambeau’s rustiness showed immediately as he drove the ball off the tee at the par 4 1st. Unfortunately, the ball flared to the right and ended up in a first aid tent. The incident led to a flurry of activity on social media among golf fans, with many unsurprised that DeChambeau made such an immediate impression on his return to competitive action. 

DeChambeau finished the hole with a bogey to mark an inauspicious start to the tournament. If he approached the second tee with the notion that things could only improve from there, that was largely dispelled, too, as he shanked his second shot on the second hole. However, he recovered and eventually settled for par as things started to improve.

The 28-year-old has been recovering from hip and hand injuries since withdrawing from February’s PIF Saudi International and only played his first practice since then the day before this week’s tournament. While DeChambeau admitted earlier this week that he’s not even close to being fully at it before The Masters, he would have surely hoped for a more successful immediate return to action. After all, time is short as he aims to lay down his credentials for the Green Jacket in two weeks.

The World No.13 says he hopes to play next week’s Valero Texas Open as he bids to get back his sharpness before The Masters. If his start to his comeback at the WGC-Match Play is anything to go by, we’d say that’s a good idea.