Bryson DeChambeau didn’t just shoot a 67 at Royal Birkdale on Thursday. He did it while carrying some serious baggage. And at least one legendary critic is probably eating his words right about now.
DeChambeau opened The Open Championship with a three-under round that left him just two shots off the lead. That’s a big deal for a guy who missed the cut in all three majors this year. But the real story happened before he even teed off.
Faldo’s jab lands hard
Nick Faldo, the six-time major winner turned TV analyst, went after DeChambeau’s approach to links golf during a Sky Sports appearance Tuesday. Faldo didn’t hold back. He basically said DeChambeau had no clue how to play this style of golf.
“I’d say it to his face — DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy,” Faldo said. He was referencing DeChambeau’s comment from a year ago at Royal Portrush, where Bryson said he planned to use his driver as the weapon to attack the course. Faldo scoffed at that. “Well, I’ve never attacked a links. You thread it, don’t you? You feed it down the fairway.”
It was vintage Faldo. Sharp. Dismissive. And plenty of people heard it.
DeChambeau’s response was subtle but real
After his round Thursday, a reporter asked Bryson about his game plan at Birkdale. He used the word “strategy” three times in a single answer. Not by accident, either. Cam Jourdan of the Golf Channel caught the moment on video and posted it with that context front and center.
“We had a strategy. We executed the strategy. The strategy worked today,” DeChambeau said, essentially throwing Faldo’s words back at him without saying his name. It was polite. It was professional. It was also a clear message.
Faldo’s criticism wasn’t just about this year. It was about DeChambeau’s whole approach to the game. Bryson has always been analytical, scientific almost, with his method. He uses launch monitors, studies data, and sometimes talks about golf like he’s solving a physics problem. Faldo, old school through and through, clearly finds that approach misguided when you’re playing on bumpy seaside fairways with wind that can change in seconds.
But on Thursday, the numbers worked. DeChambeau hit 10 of 14 fairways. He avoided the big numbers. He putted well. And when it was over, he made sure everyone knew there was a plan, not just a swing.
The question now is whether he can keep it going. Birkdale has a way of humbling players who get too comfortable. And Faldo, no doubt, will have thoughts if things go sideways on Friday. But for one round at least, strategy looked just fine.
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