When Bryson DeChambeau completed his first round at Royal Portrush earlier this month, there would have been many who would have assumed that the LIV Golf star was about to miss the cut at The Open Championship for a fourth time.
The Open Championship has rarely brought the best out of Bryson DeChambeau. Of course, The Open has rarely been about who can hit the ball the furthest. And while it would be grossly unfair to suggest that DeChambeau’s game is all about distance, there is no question that it is one of the skills which sets him apart from so many of his peers.
A 78 on Thursday suggested that he was heading for an early exit in Northern Ireland. DeChambeau admitted he wanted to go home after his first round.
What followed, however was one of the most remarkable performances of DeChambeau’s career.
Bryson DeChambeau made some very interesting comments following his brilliant fightback at The Open Championship
The Crushers captain registered only the second top 10 of his career at The Open. He shot 65 on Friday just to make the cut, before following that with a 68 and 64 over the weekend to end up in a tie for 10th.
Incredibly, DeChambeau’s score over the final three rounds was better than Scottie Scheffler – who won the Claret Jug by four shots.
But DeChambeau went on to make some very interesting comments this week in an interview with Bunkered as he reflected on his fightback.
“Imagine if I would have done the other way,” he said. “If I would have gone and played three great rounds and then shot 78 in the final round, I’d have been a choker. I’d have been a chokester and now all of a sudden everybody loves me because I played well the last three days.
“It was great to play well those last three days and, man, it’s links golf. The difference is that I just had a couple of different shots that didn’t go my way and got in a funk and couldn’t get out of it, unfortunately.
“I think it’s funny. It’s good perspective for people. You have to play four good rounds of golf and I didn’t.”
DeChambeau is surely correct to suggest that it would have been a nightmare for him had he got himself in an ideal position only to post a 78 on Sunday and barely hang on to a top 10 spot.
In fact, he knows all too well how much criticism he would have received had that been the case – given that is very similar to what happened to him at The Masters back in April.
Bryson DeChambeau faced plenty of criticism after The Masters
DeChambeau had put himself in the final group on Sunday at Augusta National after firing rounds of 69, 68 and 69 over the first three days in Georgia. DeChambeau appeared to hint that he expected either himself or Rory McIlroy to win after his third round.
DeChambeau even took the lead after the second hole on Sunday. However, he never quite got it going and ended up posting a 75 to end up four shots back even as McIlroy did absolutely everything he could to throw the green jacket away.
It was DeChambeau’s performance which seemed to face the most intense inquest after the final round. Padraig Harrington said DeChambeau’s game plan was ‘weird’. The Irishman suggested that he would have been a lot better off being extremely aggressive.
“Without a doubt the biggest strategy change yesterday was Bryson. Bryson DeChambeau has made himself by hitting driver, being aggressive. What was he doing laying up off the third hole? He’s got a one shot lead, he’s got the tee, he could stand there and possibly drive the green, he’s made his game, what was he looking for? Who is he looking to be? He changed his personality completely,” he said.
“The US Open hurt Bryson DeChambeau basically. He doesn’t want to be known as a slasher who gets it up and down from everywhere. He wanted to be known as a clever golfer, who’s got finesse. But that’s not who he was. I don’t know if it affected Rory in the sense of when he saw him lay up and Rory hit driver; yeah, it was weird. That was the biggest strategy that I saw of the day. I couldn’t believe it.
“Bryson’s change of personality on number three, the oddest thing ever, him laying up, he just wasn’t there for the rest of the day. He didn’t want to be the player he was at Pinehurst, he wanted to be somebody else. He wanted to be a clever golfer, he didn’t want to be known as the hit and gouge guy who won the US Open. It was an incredible change of personality.”
Meanwhile, others took exception with comments DeChambeau made about McIlroy after the round. He noted that the Northern Irishman did not speak to him all day.
Some described DeChambeau as weak for seemingly moaning about the lack of interaction. Plenty seemed baffled that he apparently expected McIlroy to be chatting with him as they both had their sights on winning the first major of the year.
When you put the two majors side by side, it is remarkable how many similarities there were for DeChambeau.
One score of 75 or higher alongside three scores in the 60s, and a top 10 finish. Though he is almost being critical of his first round at Portrush, DeChambeau is right to highlight the treatment he has received at The Open given what he had to deal with in the days after Augusta National.
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