Bryson DeChambeau hopes to crack Royal Portrush puzzle after 10-word admission

A combination of a big drive, and an even bigger personality, have seen Bryson DeChambeau become one of the biggest names in golf.

And the 31-year-old heads to Royal Portrush for this year’s Open in search of a breakthrough performance at the sport’s original major; one which could see that named etched into both history and the Claret Jug. The puzzle presented by a British or Northern Irish links course is one the Californian has thus far not been able to solve.

His best Open finish was T8 in 2022 at St Andrews alongside fellow Americans Patrick Cantley and 2017 champion Jordan Speith on 12-under-par.

But DeChambeau, who now resides in Texas, never threatened the top of the leaderboard, a second round 74 made sure of that, as Australian Cameron Smith’s blemish-free round of 64 – which featured eight birdies – took him to glory ahead of Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy.

And after missing the cut at Royal Troon last year, he admitted: “I really don’t have the Open fully figured out yet.”

Famous for his hard-hitting approach to the game, it was that very reason that three-time Open champion Nick Faldo highlighted as DeChambeau’s Achilles heel when it comes to playing links golf.

Speaking on Sky Sports commentary after DeChambeau’s first round 76 – his highest opening effort at The Open since his debut at the major in 2017 - he said “It’s not surprising for me [why he struggled].

“You talk about the rough. He wants to stay aggressive, stand up, and bash it down there, but that’s just not how you play links golf. There’s a serious priority in keeping it down the fairway.”

But despite his record of only one top-ten finish at The Open, DeChambeau heads to the Antrim coast as one of the favourites. And with good reason too. The man is an extremely talented golfer, and by winning both the NCAA Division I championship, whilst at Southern Methodist University, and the U.S. Amateur in 2015, becoming only the fifth man to do so, his card was marked for greatness early.

Then consider the fact he is also a two-time winner of the U.S. Open, which attests to his capabilities of adjusting his game at the world ’s toughest set-ups. Who could forget the way he won the latter of those two at Pinehurst in 2024?

After a back-and-forth final round – in which he was battling McIlroy for the title – DeChambeau produced one of golf’s all-time iconic shots to pip his rival from Holywood. With his ball in the bunker 50 yards away from the green after his second shot, DeChambeau produced an up-and-down for the ages to land just shy of the hole.

And thanks to McIlroy’s missed three-footer for par - which capped off a horrendous final four holes for him as he dropped three shots - DeChambeau rolled home his par attempt to finish on six-under and take victory by a single stroke.

His celebration was emphatic as a huge release of emotion poured out of him, - later dedicating the win to 1999 U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart, his golfing idol, and his father - but that shot showed the mental fortitude DeChambeau possesses, something he’ll need if he’s going to challenge for Open glory.

He also won LIV Golf Korea in May, after joining the breakaway Saudi Arabian-backed Tour in 2022, in a show of where his game is at. And he has banged loudly on the door at two of this year’s majors, finishing T5 at the Masters – having led during the final round – before finishing in a tie for second at the PGA Championship.

He’s getting used to being a man in contention, remarking ahead of LIV Golf Dallas: “I’d say I’m disappointed that I haven’t won one [a major] yet this year.”

But that certainly has the potential to change.

DeChambeau has famously always been a man to experiment with his game in search of an edge – he is not scared of change, rather, he embraces it. Take his clubs for example, since 2011, he has used irons and wedges that all have exactly the same length shafts – 37.5 inches – in a bid to have the same posture when taking the majority of his shots, while he also uses extra thick grips on his clubs.

Due to his tendency to tinker, DeChambeau was known by the moniker ‘The Scientist’ during the early part of his career. So, it was no surprise to hear that that in the run-up to The Open, DeChambeau spoke about how he needed to change tack if he was going to be successful.

“I’ve got to fine-tune my game and focus on executing my shots the way I know I can on the golf course. I haven’t been doing that recently,” he said. "A little bit more due diligence on my side of the coin. Not taking things for granted and focusing on what I can do to give myself the best chance to win at The Open.

"Probably being a little more strategic that week.”

If DeChambeau can temper his game and combine his strengths with the thought that is required to successfully plot your way around the Dunluce Links, then the rest of the field should certainly take heed. But there’s more to him than just his outgoing persona and ability to hit a golf ball.

He’s experienced family trauma and bounced back, having lost his dad Jon in 2022 due to complications from diabetes that he had suffered from since the 1990s. After winning the first of his U.S. Opens, he explained to CNN: “I always wanted my parents, especially my dad, to witness not only a PGA Tour event but a major championship.

“My parents gave up everything for me to play golf. They didn’t have any free time. Every summer, they’d be driving me to golf tournaments. No matter what, they gave their whole life for me.”

His heartfelt reaction to seeing his parents on a large screen after winning at Winged Foot – in a dominant display of hitting which saw him win by six shots on five-under-par – showed he was playing for his family as much as himself that day.

In his earlier days, DeChambeau was a rough diamond, never far away from a controversial statement – claiming Augusta should be a par 67 following his first major title win certainly ruffled a few feathers.

After the sport resumed post Covid, DeChambeau noticeably put on approximately 40lbs of muscle and subsequently became the longest driver on the PGA tour. It certainly helped him at Winged Foot, but ultimately, you don’t end up having a great career in golf by simply belting the ball as far as you can.

And in the same way his personality has gone from being aloof to a social media star – he has 3M Instagram followers and regularly posts videos of himself doing things like trying to break public golf course records, to trying to score a hole-in-one over his house to everything in between, including playing with President Donald Trump – his game has changed from being a one-trick pony to a bow with many strings to it.

In order to win at Royal Portrush, a course DeChambeau described as “diabolical” due to its challenging nature, the man crowned Champion Golfer of the Year will have shown talent, resilience, know-how and adaptability. DeChambeau has shown he has all those traits, all that is left for him to do now is use them all in tandem to crack the links puzzle.