Sir Nick Faldo has blasted Bryson DeChambeau’s approach to links golf ahead of The Open at Royal Birkdale.
The big-hitting American has missed the cut in all three of this year’s Majors as he looks to avoid an unwanted clean sweep at the game’s oldest championship. But if Faldo's comments are anything to go by, he doesn’t fancy his chances.
DeChambeau has enjoyed some success in past Opens. He finished in a tie for eighth at St Andrews in 2022 and also recorded a T10 last year at Royal Portrush, where he insisted the “driver would be key” ahead of his opening round.
That approach led to a 78 on Thursday before he bounced back admirably to make the cut and finish strong.
Should DeChambeau try to overpower Birkdale, three-time Open champion Faldo thinks he will once again run into trouble.
“I'd say it to his face - DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy,” Faldo said on the Sky Sports Golf podcast.
“He said last year, ‘I'm going to go out and attack the links’. Well, I've never attacked a links. You thread it, don't you? You feed it down the fairway.
“You look at humps and bumps. If I send it over and feed it, it nudges back into play. You don't think, ‘Oh, I'll just blast it down there. Can't see where I'm going’. The fairway is 20 yards wide.
“Good luck. Even if you hit it fantastic and it lands on the corner of a divot, you might still miss the fairway. So you've got to think, ‘How do I get it on the short grass?’ It is so important.
“I always used to look for all the downslopes because you don't have to hit the driver. You can twang your 1-iron or a 3-wood.
“You hit it on the downslope, it scoots forward, you get an extra 30 yards of run.
“There's no need to put yourself under pressure to hit the fairway with your driver. You've just got to think like that. That's the priority when playing links golf.”
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DeChambeau has shown great form on LIV Golf this year, picking up wins in Singapore and South Africa, but that has not translated to the Majors.
However, armed with a fresh set of 3D-printed irons, the 32-year-old is feeling optimistic ahead of his first round at Birkdale alongside World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and fellow LIV player Tyrrell Hatton.
“On a course like this, if I feel good I know I can give myself a chance,” DeChambeau said on the R&A's Live At The Range.
“I know I haven't had the best results this year, but I've won twice, and top-three'd three times. Just a couple of weird things happening at the Majors.
“If it goes well for me this week, great. If it doesn't, I'll keep moving on and creating as much as I can.”
Year |
Finish |
Course |
2017 |
MC |
Royal Birkdale |
2018 |
T51 |
Carnoustie |
2019 |
MC |
Royal Portrush |
2021 |
T33 |
Royal St George's |
2022 |
T8 |
St Andrews |
2023 |
T60 |
Royal Liverpool |
2024 |
MC |
Royal Troon |
2025 |
T10 |
Royal Portrush |
