'I respect the course!': Bryson DeChambeau defends 2020 comments where he said Augusta National is a par 67 for him, as LIV Golf star prepares for contentious Masters

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Bryson DeChambeau has made light of his much-mocked claim that Augusta National is a par 67 for him ahead of the 87th Masters.

DeChambeau made the statement ahead of the 2020 Masters, which was held in November due to the Covid-19 pandemic and came just two months after he had overpowered Winged Foot to win the US Open by six shots.

'I'm looking at it as a par 67 for me because I can reach all the par fives in two, no problem. If the conditions stay the way they are, that's what I feel like par is for me,' he said at the time.

However, in reality DeChambeau recorded rounds of 70, 74, 69 and 73 to finish in a tie for 34th, was 46th in 2021 and missed the cut last year.

DeChambeau arrives back at Augusta as a member of the highly-controversial LIV Golf, which has offered lucrative payouts to golfers with the backing of Saudi Arabia.

Bryson DeChambeau  plays his shot from the first tee during a Masters practice round

DeChambeau missed the cut at last year's tournament and came 46th in 2021

Augusta National is considered the most prestigious course in all of golf

The series has faced a lot of criticism over the quality of its tournaments, in particular the strength of its limited fields, though DeChambeau didn't back down from his past comments on Monday.

'I don't think I regret anything I do,' DeChambeau said when asked about the comment on Monday.

'What I do understand is that I have a lot of respect for the course. Because of that statement people think I don't have respect for the course. Are you kidding me?

'This is one of the greatest golf courses in the entire world, and if anybody thinks I don't have respect for the course, they'd better go check out who I actually am because it's not accurate one bit.

'Hypothetically, theoretically, look, if you make 18 birdies it's going to be 54, right? Unattainable. A 67 every day, unattainable. It can happen, but is it likely to happen? Probably not.

'With the distance I'm hitting it and was hitting it, I thought there was a possibility, but that's only with your 'A' game, and I should have rephrased that.

'Long story short, I don't want anybody to take it out of context. And clearly I shot 12 over last year and missed the cut. So I shot like 32 over par. I can make a joke about it.'