A triple-bogey dropped Bryson DeChambeau four shots from the lead at the Masters, but the closing-hole blunder failed to dampen the spirits of the American amateur on Friday.
Playing in the same group as second-round leader Jordan Spieth, DeChambeau arrived at the 18th tee one shot behind the defending champion.
But a pulled tee ball forced DeChambeau to reload and another errant drive made him fortunate to score a seven for a 72 and even-par total of 144.
"Everybody is going to go back to 18, 'oh, he was nervous,'" the confident amateur said. "No, I hit two pulled drives. I don't like the left-to-right wind on that hole."
The 22-year-old DeChambeau has caused a buzz around Augusta National with his unconventional theories about golf.
He was a physics major at Southern Methodist University and uses his area of study in his game.
For example, his irons are all 37.5 inches in length, the same length as a standard six iron.
In a standard set of irons, the clubs gradually get shorter down to the wedges.
DeChambeau believes that by having his irons the same length he can use the same swing with all his clubs.
The theory has worked for him. Last summer, he became only the fifth player to win the US Amateur and individual US College championship in the same season, following Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore.
After the Masters he will make his pro debut at the Heritage Classic in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
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