AUGUSTA, Ga. — For Paul Pearman, Masters week in Augusta is usually a constant celebration. This 64-year-old, who has lived in Augusta his entire life, is accustomed to the excitement.
Pearman, a unique artist living in a home that resembles a museum on Lake Olmstead, is often in the middle of the action. He`s well-versed in the history, especially the local stories of Augusta National. As a passionate golfer himself, he even constructed a top-notch putting green in his backyard, complete with impressive lighting.
The lights are so powerful, they essentially acted as a beacon, attracting one of the world`s top golfers.
One Friday evening, Pearman returned home and switched on the green`s lights. He noticed a group of people walking across a nearby bridge and saw them stop and stare as the green lit up. They turned towards his house and greeted him.
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“Do you guys play golf?” Pearman asked.
“Hi, I`m Bryson DeChambeau,” one of them answered from the shadowed driveway.
“Nice to meet you, I`m Jack Nicklaus,” Pearman joked back.
Then, his guest stepped into the light, and Pearman realized it was indeed Bryson DeChambeau. “Oh,” Pearman said, “Well, I`m not really Jack Nicklaus.”
DeChambeau, who scored a 69 on Saturday, placing him in the final group with Rory McIlroy, is only two strokes behind McIlroy. He is in contention to win his third major and first green jacket. His wedge play has been exceptional, leading the field in strokes gained around the green. Perhaps this success is partly due to his impromptu practice session on Pearman`s Augusta backyard green the night before.
At Pearman`s property, DeChambeau practiced with 72-degree wedges, sending balls high into the night sky.
“It looked like a Goodyear Blimp was flying overhead, dropping golf balls onto the flags,” Pearman described.
DeChambeau also used what Pearman calls his “Liberace putter,” a large, clear Lucite putter with a head resembling a bar of soap.
“Like those novelty items with a scorpion inside,” Pearman said. “The kind of thing you might win as employee of the month.”
Pearman rushed inside to tell his wife, Michele, to get out of her pajamas. “Get up! Bryson`s in the backyard.”
“You`re kidding me,” she responded, disbelieving.
But it was true, and Michele shared that she immediately liked DeChambeau, noting his politeness to everyone, including their Rottweiler. “He was so sweet,” she said. “He introduced himself, shook my hand. And he was very friendly with Rosie, who loved it.”
DeChambeau is known as one of golf`s most intriguing personalities. At tournaments, he often spends his evenings practicing after his rounds. He uses a launch monitor even on the putting green. He`s also a YouTuber and quite successful at it. He`s known for trying unconventional methods that might raise eyebrows among other professionals.
Like refining his short game with a collection of mismatched clubs he found in the shed of a backyard putting green.
Pearman was curious about why DeChambeau was out in Augusta so late, discovering a practice area he didn`t know existed just moments before. DeChambeau explained he couldn`t sleep. “I don`t blame you,” Pearman responded.
Pearman`s unique personality has led to many interesting acquaintances. In 1989, he broke Tony Alva`s Guinness World Record for the longest skateboard jump over barrels (more than 26). He is a third-degree black belt and holds state and national amateur kickboxing titles. He also creates handmade mosaics and belt buckles, many sold to musicians and celebrities.
Rory Sabbatini once wore one of Pearman`s belt buckles during a Masters round. Jeff Knox, Augusta National`s legendary marker, wore one when he outplayed McIlroy in a 2014 round.
Consequently, Pearman knows many people, and his backyard green is far from ordinary. Measuring 71 feet by 41 feet, this kidney-shaped green has its own drainage system with “nine French drains and 15 catch basins,” Pearman detailed. “It`s likely the largest artificial green in the area.”
He added that he built in extra undulations to keep it interesting long-term, which he believes caught DeChambeau`s attention.
“This is really cool,” DeChambeau said to Pearman. “Usually, they`re quite small and flat.”
Pearman, as an artist, has always admired DeChambeau, a golfer known for his intense energy and constant adjustments to his game and equipment. Now, Pearman has witnessed DeChambeau`s process firsthand, watching someone who had already hit approximately 1,000 range shots that week at Augusta National continue his search for improvement in his backyard on a Friday night.
And it seems he might have found something valuable there.
On Saturday, Pearman and his friends watched from his “golf shed” as DeChambeau sank a 45-foot putt for birdie on the first hole. Later that day, more people gathered to watch DeChambeau birdie three of the last four holes, finishing with a 48-foot putt on No. 18, securing his place in the final group and crucial momentum for Sunday.
“I might cry if Bryson doesn`t win tomorrow,” Michele admitted.
Paul mentioned that his biggest yard work challenge is clover, but his yard is full of four-leaf clovers. Perhaps, he suggested, there`s something to that.
“It`s just lucky out here, man,” he said. “Clearly, one lesson was all it took.”
After his impressive Saturday performance, following his Friday night backyard session, DeChambeau was asked how he avoids burnout from constant practice.
“The most important thing is to relax and have a fun, enjoyable night,” he said. “Spending time with friends and family, and just being myself… The more I can be myself, the longer I can sustain it.”
Benedict Kingsley