He isn’t going to win The Open this year. I could have told you that before Bryson DeChambeau struck his first shot at Portrush on Thursday.
It was one of the most predictable rounds ever. He might be able to calculate yardages, air density and wind direction to the nearest decimal place, but links golf doesn’t fall for that carry-on.
He had more airshots and double bogeys than he had birdies in round one where he shot a 7-over 78. DeChambeau has never been a club-slammer or a loud swearer, but his anger was no-doubt building inside as the Dunluce Links chewed him up and spat him out.
Another Open Championship for the people’s champion was over. We will forever harp back to the time he came tied for eighth at The Open at St Andrews as a desperate piece of evidence to suggest he can deal with the humps and hollows of seaside turf. But we know of all the Open Rota courses, this one at risk of becoming obsolete by distance suits him down to the ground.
As scathing as this may sound, this report comes from the heart. DeChambeau is undoubtedly one of the best players of his generation and one of the most extraordinary golfers to have ever lived.
He is immensely talented and an unbelievably determined competitor, as he has shown at the Masters in recent years, and when he ripped Rory McIlroy’s heart from his chest and stuffed it back down his throat at the 2024 US Open.
So why can’t someone so good compete at The Open? Come on, Bryson. We want to see something. Go to North Berwick in the week before the championship, like everyone else does. Get humbled by Portstewart, learn your trade at County Down, then come here with your newfound skills and knowledge.
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Bryson DeChambeau: Open Championship is out of his grasp, but do we have signs of life for the future?
It might be that you win two more US Opens. I would be shocked if you didn’t win more than two PGA Championships, and even a Green Jacket with the way you flirt at the top of the leaderboard at Augusta National each year.
But we’re in mid-July now, and it is links season. And every time I look to build my betting squad for The Open, you are never in it. There are too many variables for your calculations to work.
All of these thoughts dominated my head as it hit the pillow after day one of golf’s oldest major in County Antrim. DeChambeau’s ears were burning but, in round two, he caught fire.
He will be here at the weekend after a magnificent round of 65. It might have been a tame Portrush with favourable conditions but, let’s be clear, this was an almighty round of golf full of quality, spirit and fight.
“I woke up this morning and I said, you know what, I can’t give up,” an emotional Bryson said on Friday. “My dad always told me never to give up, just got to keep going, and that’s what I did today.
“I was proud of the way I fought back, really persevered through some emotionally difficult moments, and to hold myself together and not get pissed and slam clubs and throw things and all that like I wanted to. I was very proud of myself.”
Has the penny finally dropped? A round of 6-under at a venue like Portrush is so impressive, and the comparisons with Phil Mickelson are being drawn.
Lefty experienced pain and frustration at The Open. Before he lifted the Claret Jug in 2013, he came in the top 10 twice in 19 attempts. For one of the greatest golfers ever, that is not right and it is links golf that produced this anomaly.
When he rolled in his birdie on the 72nd hole at Muirfield, one of the world’s finest golf courses, the relief and satisfaction oozed from his veins. He and his longtime caddie Bones McKay shared an embrace that lasted a lifetime. For a player who had accomplished so much, he had proven there was nothing he couldn’t do. He had seen it all.
“In order to be a complete golfer, you’ve got to win over here. That’s something I’ve struggled to do” he added.
“I think he’s right (Mickelson); it’s the most proud moment of his career, which is awesome. For me, if it was ever to happen in my career, it probably would be the proudest as well.”
He will play at the weekend. He isn’t going to win The Open in 2025.
But was the second round at the 153rd Open, July 18, the lightbulb moment that could define his career?
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Will we ever see the headline: Bryson DeChambeau Open Championship winner? Does St Andrews suit a Bryson DeChambeau Open Championship campaign the most? Tell us on X!
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