A bulked up DeChambeau hopes to bomb the field at Augusta

If you’re looking for a favorite to win this year’s Masters Tournament, look no further than Bryson DeChambeau.

Indeed, the 27-year-old Central California native has the hot hand after winning the U.S. Open in September. In 2020’s second major at suburban New York’s Winged Foot, he wowed the few onlookers at the spectator-less tournament by launching monster drive after monster drive to romp the field by six strokes and bag his first major.

It was a reward for using golf ’s pandemic-induced shutdown to his advantage. During March, April and

May of this year, DeChambeau consumed 5,000-6,000 calories a day and worked with a personal trainer to add 40 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot, 1-inch frame. The dramatic change in his body in such a short period of time surprised even the trainer, Greg Roskopf, who also works with the Denver Broncos.

A win in July at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit showed all his work was paying off and his dominant performance two months later at Winged Foot confirmed it. As of late October, he sat atop the PGA Tour’s money list with more than $2.4 million in winnings.

And the added muscle will no doubt help him at Augusta National, a course that favors bombers. His best finish in three Masters starts is 21st and he mentions it as a primary motivator for bulking up his body. So he’s hoping his new physique will produce a long-awaited victory and a green jacket he can fit into.

He’ll tee it up against the sport’s best when the 2020 Masters takes place Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 12-15, on ESPN and CBS.