Bryson DeChambeau has made a statement with his golf at The Open and deserves extra praise for it

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Bryson DeChambeau made a big statement on day one of The Open Championship, where he carded a three-under 67.

Although it is still in the very early stages of the tournament, the LIV Golf superstar finds himself in contention for another major win.

And that is the first time DeChambeau can boast such status this season, having missed the cut at The Masters, the PGA Championship and the US Open.

READ MORE: Open Championship 2026: Tee times, how to watch, venue and everything you need to know

DeChambeau has come under fire for those underwhelming displays, as well as his decision to skip his media duties.

But he’s just proven a point at Royal Birkdale, and certainly deserves extra praise heading into round two of The Open Championship.

Bryson DeChambeau deserves extra praise at The Open Championship

It is certainly fair to say that many people both wanted and expected DeChambeau to fail in Southport, possibly missing another cut.

He has indeed typically struggled in links golf, while there was even added pressure given he was paired with world number one Scottie Scheffler.

But between him, Scheffler and their other playing partner, Tyrrell Hatton, it was DeChambeau who shone brightest.

Moreover, there were very negative comments from high-profile figures within the golfing world in the build-up to The Open.

Brandel Chamblee said DeChambeau is more interested in his YouTube exploits, while Nick Faldo claimed he didn’t have the strategy to compete successfully at the tournament.

The divisive figure has responded to those claims in the perfect way, dealing with the pressure expertly to fire himself into early contention.

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Bryson DeChambeau leads The Open for Strokes Gained

DeChambeau admitted afterwards that there is still room for improvement, although he was satisfied with his efforts on day one in Southport.

Analyzing his round, the two-time major winner said: “Yeah, it was a hard-fought battle out there. The wind was switching quite a bit.

“It was fun seeing the fans going at us, and they were rooting for all of us. It was fun just seeing the ups and downs of the group, but we all played pretty well. It was a lot of fun.

“There’s some driving holes out there I’ve got to work on. Other than that, I played really well. Made some good putts and three-putted once, but that’s life.”

While he will be keen to right some wrongs in round two, he can definitely take great confidence from his overall scoring.

Of the 156 players in The Open field, DeChambeau ranked at the very top of the pile for Strokes Gained with his figure of +5.714.

He now needs to keep this momentum heading into Friday and beyond, but he should have plenty of confidence to do exactly that at Royal Birkdale.