Bryson DeChambeau is already a two-time US Open champion and now Brandel Chamblee has suggested there’s something happening in the world of golf right now that could help him land a third this year.
DeChambeau beat Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst in 2024 in one of the most dramatic finishes of the year to take home his second major championship.
This year, the US Open returns to Oakmont. Historically, Oakmont has always been a tough place to play golf, with trees and certain lines ensuring a tough test for golfers.
However, things could look different this year and speaking on the matter, Brandel Chamblee has suggested it could well help DeChambeau in his quest for major number three.
Brandel Chamblee explains golf’s problem which could help Bryson DeChambeau
Chamblee was speaking on the Favourite Chamblee podcast and had the question put to him of if Bryson DeChambeau could win the US Open this year in Oakmont due to his brilliant and long driving.
In response, Chamblee named a few big hitters of the past who have proved it can be done.
“Well, it’s been a great driver’s golf course. So on Angel Cabrera won there, hitting phenomenal drives. So it’s been a great driver’s golf course over the years. Dustin Johnson won there. You can’t find hardly anybody…”
However, when pressed specifically on Bryson winning, Chamblee spoke about a problem in golf that could help DeChambeau further in his quest to win a second consecutive US Open title.
“Well, there is a deforestation movement going in the game of golf, which I absolutely hate. They all say, ‘oh, we’re going to return this golf course to its good’. The reason they were building these golf courses on land with no trees is because the trees had been scalped to build homes,” Chamblee complained.
“You know, it wasn’t for the designer, it was just the easiest route to building golf courses. It wasn’t because someone said, let’s just build a golf course with no tree. Imagine if there was deforestation on the 13th hole at Augusta National, and they just took down all those trees on the left-hand side.
“Well, the hole would be ridiculous. The hole would be ridiculous. So trees have a purpose. And all these architects, it’s like they’re all speaking Esperanto. Like they’re all speaking the same language. Every single one of them. They all speak the same language.
“Cut the trees down, little bit of rough, you know, create angles. All these things are great in theory, and they work well for recreational golfers. But if you want to test the best golfers in the world, guess what you need?
“You need trees. You need rough, okay? Yes, if you happen to be blessed, and you’ve got a golf course, a links golf course, by the ocean where the wind blows and you can have firm ground, fine.
“Pot bunkers, whatever, fine. That’s fine, but you know, there’s such a thing as called inland golf, parkland golf, where the turf’s not firm, and you don’t have 30 mile an hour capricious winds, you need trees, you need rough to test the best players in the world. So every single architect, anytime everybody in any industry is thinking the same damn thing, they’re wrong.”
Bryson DeChambeau’s record at Oakmont Country Club
Quite remarkably, Bryson DeChambeau has only ever played at Oakmont on one other occasion.
That came back in the 2015/16 US Open, where a young and fresh DeChambeau finished five over par but still finished in 15th.
In terms of his actual US Open form, DeChambeau’s record is more than a little erratic.
He’s got two wins, two missed cuts, three more top 25s and then a T35 and a T56 in his nine attempts so far.
It shows that DeChambeau is capable of turning it on when needed at the US Open but also, he can struggle if things get tough.
Less trees and less trouble, then, surely means an easier ride for a player like DeChambeau.
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