Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open in 2024, and for a second it looked like he was back to being the guy who could bully a golf course into submission. But since that win at Pinehurst, the two-time major champion has gone cold in the biggest events. And not just cold. Ice cold.
In 2026, DeChambeau has missed the cut at all three majors so far. The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open — all of them sent him packing before the weekend. That’s a brutal stretch for someone who used to be a regular contender on Sunday afternoons.
This week at Royal Birkdale for The Open Championship, he has a chance to turn it around. But if his history in links golf is any indicator, it’s going to take something special.
Links golf is growing on him, but it’s still a fight
DeChambeau has never looked comfortable at The Open. In eight career starts, he’s finished inside the top 30 only twice. His best result came just last year, a T-10 that offered a glimmer of hope. But that’s it. One decent finish in nearly a decade of trying.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, DeChambeau acknowledged the unique challenge of playing links golf, especially compared to the more predictable conditions he faces in the U.S.
“I would say that Open Championship golf is different in the fact that you have to control — you try to control the uncontrollable, which is wind and bounces and slopes that are sometimes difficult to judge from 200 yards away,” DeChambeau said. “The U.S. Open is a little more consistent in that regard. But Open Championship golf is the roots and the traditions of the game of golf. So there’s a lot of respect and tradition to that type of championship in The Open.”
He added that the contrast between the two championships is part of what makes them both so compelling.
“I think that’s what’s so brilliant about it, is having those two different types of tests. The Open Championship is going to demand different type of resilience, a different type of strategy, a different type of grit than the U.S. Open provides.”
Nobody in men’s golf has won a major in 2026. Yet.
Here’s the weird part about this season: nobody has separated themselves. Scottie Scheffler hasn’t won a major. Neither has Xander Schauffele. Jon Rahm is still searching for his next one. The entire top tier of the men’s game is stuck at zero for the year, which means Royal Birkdale is wide open. A lot of hungry players, a lot of chances for someone to break through.
DeChambeau is one of those guys, obviously. But he’s also the one with the worst track record in this specific event. If he can somehow piece together four rounds of controlled chaos — managing the wind, reading those weird bounces, avoiding the big numbers — he might actually give himself a shot. That’s a big if though.
We’ll see starting Thursday whether that T-10 from last year was a sign of something real, or just a one-off on a course that happened to fit him.
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