AUGUSTA — It was not the competition at Augusta National anyone expected.
In what can only be described as a break with tradition, Augusta National Golf Club recently hosted Dude Perfect, a sports and comedy group with nearly 60 million subscribers on its YouTube Channel, to record one of its videos at the famed Amen Corner. And it had some help – from Bryson DeChambeau.
In a video, narrated by Jim Nantz, the group of five uses different sporting equipment to play each of the holes in what it dubbed as an All Sports Golf Battle. The participants were Tyler Toney, Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert and Cody Jones, all former college roommates at Texas A&M, and they played the three holes several weeks ago. They asked and were joined by DeChambeau, who was at Augusta to practice for the Masters. Tennis rackets, baseball bats, croquet mallets, kickballs, Frisbees, pool cues, hockey sticks and the like were loaded into golf bags for the stunt.
In one of its videos, Dude Perfect spends five minutes doing tricks with red Solo cups.
The premise for the All Sports Golf Battle: Score as low as possible using the non-golf equipment. Once a particular piece of equipment is used on a hole, it can’t be used again. So, for example, tee off by throwing a Frisbee, follow with hitting a baseball, reach the green with a Nerf football and putt with a croquet mallet.
“Well, I think that as times are changing with a new generation coming about, I think it’s awesome that Dude Perfect was allowed to be out here and we were able to do that, to showcase a different side to the game of golf,” DeChambeau said. “Sometimes, I guess, one of the things that I see from it all is the ability to reach a younger audience, to reach new people that maybe don’t watch golf. Maybe they do just like watching trick shots, and, oh, that’s cool, they are on a golf course. Like what is Augusta National? What is it? What’s the Masters? Creating more exposure for the Masters is, I think, a really positive attribute that came about from that, and I was very pleased to be a part of it.”
Surely, even DeChambeau was surprised that Augusta National allowed such a thing.
“Everybody was,” DeChambeau said. “And I think that’s a pretty cool attribute of what Augusta is doing now, and I see it changing in a very cool way for a younger audience, new generation. Drive, Chip & Putt, it’s a big deal, right? And the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, right, that Anna Davis wins, 16-year-old. I love that it’s starting to move toward the younger generation, which is amazing, and that’s what I’m all about.”
For the record, the group eliminated the high scorer for the first two holes, Nos. 11 and 12. DeChambeau advanced to the final hole with Toney and Hilbert, and all tied with scores of 9 on No. 13. Instead of splitting the championship three ways, DeChambeau suggested a skip-off on the pond at No. 16. Toney won by finishing 25 feet from the hole.
It was definitely something that won’t be seen come the start of the tournament Thursday.
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