NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — The opening round of the 108th PGA Championship is in the books and the leaderboard is jam-packed with seven players (including the world No. 1) tied for the lead another seven one shot behind them.
One player who is nowhere near that party but was among the betting favorites coming in is Bryson DeChambeau. The two-time major winner surprisingly missed the cut at the Masters but redemption doesn’t appear to be likely this week after an opening-round 76 at Aronimink.
DeChambeau, of course, is LIV Golf’s biggest American star. His contract is up for renewal, though the league’s future is up in the air. While DeChambeau has options, could the situation be difficult to manage while still competing?
That’s something for the SI Golf team to ponder, Fact or Fiction-style:
Bryson DeChambeau, squarely in the middle of the turmoil around LIV Golf’s survival, is too distracted to contend in majors.
Bob Harig, SI Golf Senior Writer: FACT. I'm not necessarily sure that was the case at the Masters, where he missed the cut just a few weeks after winning consecutive LIV Golf events. But it's hard not to see it being the case here. He did several interviews last week at the LIV Golf Virginia event where he was all over the place in vowing his allegiance to LIV (he's joined CEO Scott O'Neil on sales calls), to saying he might devote his time outside the majors to YouTube, to questioning his options on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour were things to go completely awry with LIV Golf. He then declined to do any media prior to the PGA Championship, which at least suggests he knows he needed to concentrate on the matter at hand but clearly was out of sorts again with a round that didn't see a birdie until his final hole.
Jeff Ritter, SI Golf Managing Director: FACT. Parsing his latest comments, it sure sounds like DeChambeau wants to play golf wherever he is loved, and avoid anyplace where he is not. YouTube may be a real thing for his next step. In the meantime, not only is he facing extra scrutiny as LIV spirals, but he’s also reportedly part of Scott O’Neil’s dog-and-pony show to try to drum up new investors. It all adds up, and I think it’s reflected on his scorecards.
John Schwarb, SI Golf Senior Editor: FICTION. Majors are too important and I’m not giving him an out here. DeChambeau did not have a pre-event press conference at Aronimink, which was bad for us in the content biz but good for him to not have the distraction. He had plenty of time to prep. On Thursday he was atrocious around the greens, ranking dead last in strokes-gained around the green and 119th in strokes-gained putting. I can’t grant him a pass for that just because the Crushers’ future is in doubt.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bryson DeChambeau Is Too Distracted By LIV Golf to Contend in Majors.
