DeChambeau quietly gets off to strong start
B-Mac doesn't let his drone war slow quest; English carry on; Stenson almost free
Bryson DeChambeau had nothing to say even after an opening 67 (Stuart Franklin/R&A via Getty Images)
SOUTHPORT, England — Bryson DeChambeau declined to talk to reporters on Thursday afternoon after his opening 3-under 67, which is certainly his right, but isn’t exactly helping him as he endures a frustrating summer that saw him tee off at the Open Championship on Thursday hoping avoid a major championship 0-fer in 2026.
DeChambeau actually played nicely at Royal Birkdale, with only a final-hole bogey knocking him out of a share of the early lead after he hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation to sign for a score that trailed early leaders Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im by a shot.
After his struggles at the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open — missing the cut in all three — plus the issues LIV Golf faces and its ominous future, DeChambeau had reason to be happy.
But apparently not enough to want to chat openly afterward. He gave only a few comments to an R&A media official but avoided any direct questioning from the assembled press, who were also denied questions following his missed cut at the Masters, PGA and U.S. Open.
“Definitely satisfying,” he told to an R&A media official for a pool report. “Any time you get off to a great start, it’s awesome, but there’s three more days, dude. There’s still a lot of golf to be played. But ultimately from my perspective I was really excited about the way I played.”
Also in today’s DD …
Bob MacIntyre’s ongoing war with drones doesn’t stop strong start
Englishmen keep calm and carry on after World Cup ouster
Free Stenson! Former LIV senior will soon be free
All quiet on the LIV front
What they’re saying
DeChambeau declined pre-tournament media interviews at the three most recent majors and although he did speak at the LIV Golf Virginia event in May, much of it was in response to the news that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — which backed the formation of LIV Golf — would no longer be doing so after this year.
It probably didn’t help matters that six-time major winner Nick Faldo told Sky Sports that DeChambeau has “no clue of strategy.” And Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee criticized DeChambeau’s pursuit of YouTube golf endeavors.
Faldo said recently that “he has no clue of strategy. He said it last year I think on TV: ‘I’m going to go out and attack the links.’ Well, I’ve never attacked a links. You thread it, don’t you? You feed it down the fairway.
“You look at humps and bumps and what have you and think, ‘If I send it over and feed it, it nudges back into play.’ You don’t think, ‘I’ll just bomb it down there, can’t see where I’m going, it’s 20 yards wide.’ Oh yeah, good luck.”
Faldo’s philosophy isn’t wrong but his recollection of DeChambeau’s tactics might be. It is true that the two-time major winner who captured the 2020 and 2024 U.S. Opens has struggled at the Open. In seven appearances, he’s missed two cuts and never contended.
But DeChambeau doesn’t appear to have said what Faldo suggested. Two years ago at Royal Troon, before missing the cut, DeChambeau said: “I don’t think it’s possible to overpower it. There’s too many hazards around the fairways, even in the bunkers. You’ve got to be very strategic out here.
“Look, I’ve played well on strategic golf courses in the past … so I think I’m pretty solid it. But overpowering this golf course, I don’t think it’s possible.”
Last year, after opening with a 78 at Royal Portrush, DeChambeau rallied to make the cut with a second-round 65, then shot 68-64 on the weekend to tie for 10th. It was a
