It's been a challenging 2026 season for two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau, who missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, and U.S. Open — a first in his career. Despite winning twice on LIV Golf in March, his major tournament performances have drawn criticism, notably from golf legend Nick Faldo, who said DeChambeau "has zero clue of strategy."

On Thursday, July 16, 2026, DeChambeau fired a 3-under 67 at Royal Birkdale during the first round of the Open Championship, sharing the lead until a bogey on his final hole. He gave a brief interview to an R&A reporter but did not speak extensively to the media.

DeChambeau responded to Faldo's criticism by emphasizing the strategic nature of his play on the links, stating, "I’ve never attacked a links. You thread it, don’t you? You feed it down the fairway."

Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee suggested that DeChambeau's struggles stem from focusing too much on chasing trends and personalities in golf rather than purely on performance, noting, "It's almost like he went from chasing Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to chasing Grant Horvat. It's like he wants to outdo every YouTuber in the game of golf instead of outplay everybody in the game of golf."

Despite the rocky start to the year, DeChambeau's strong opening round at Royal Birkdale has provided some momentum as he seeks to rebound in the majors.

Sources