A 76 Thursday creates a historical task for Bryson DeChambeau

There are 54 holes left in the 2026 Masters, and as we remind ourselves every year, the tournament doesn’t really begin until the leaders reach the back nine on Sunday. But Bryson DeChambeau’s bogey at the 18th on Thursday put the two-time U.S. Open champion on the wrong side of a historically important line at Augusta National.

After failing to get up and down from the short and left of the green, DeChambeau signed for a 4-over 76, leaving him nine shots behind early leaders Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns, who each opened with 67.

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He could certainly bounce back on Friday, make the cut and work his way up the leaderboard, but history suggests the margin for error is now razor thin. The highest opening round by a Masters winner remains a 75, shot by Craig Stadler in 1982. Notably, Stadler went on to win that year in a playoff over Dan Pohl, who also opened with 75.

"Just going to give what the golf course gives me," DeChambeau said after he was asked if he planned to be more aggressive Friday to get back into the mix. "I have to try to hit my irons better. I drove it left numerous occasions. Did a great job on 18. Wind didn't hurt it like we thought, and that's this game. That's the golf course. You know, everybody has an ability for weird things to happen, and today I just did not have my irons under control,which is weird. It's been good coming into it."

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DeChambeau is the biggest name to post 4 over or worse, but he’s not alone among elite players who now need to do something historically unusual to slip into a green jacket on Sunday evening.

Patrick Cantlay and Sungjae Im are among the notable players who also finished at 4 over or higher.

Recent history reinforces the challenge. Since Danny Willett’s win in 2016, the highest opening round by a Masters champion is 72, shot by McIlroy in 2025 and Tiger Woods in 2019. At the other end of the spectrum, Scottie Scheffler opened with 66 on his way to winning in 2024.

At nine shots back, DeChambeau isn’t out of the tournament. But he’s now in a position where climbing back into contention would require something Augusta National rarely allows.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Bryson DeChambeau 76 Thursday 2026 Masters all time high score winner