It’s been a tough 2026 for two-time Major champion Bryson DeChambeau. Although he won twice at LIV Golf in March, his biggest performance is what will define his season.
And those results have not been good. At all. DeChambeau, for the first time in his career, missed the cut in three consecutive majors: the 2026 Masters, the PGA Championship and the US Open.
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But you’re only as good as your last round, and DeChambeau finally has some momentum in 2026. In the first round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, DeChambeau shared the lead until he bogeyed his final hole.
Bryson DeChambeau waves to the crowd during the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. (Oisin Keniry/R&A)
Still, he managed to shoot a 3-under 67, putting himself in a great position to at least make the cut and potentially compete for a major championship again.
DeChambeau had not shot under par in any of his six major rounds in 2026, making it by far his best major round of the year. He played in the same group with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and finished one shot better than Scheffler.
DeChambeau showed the long game that helped him enter the conversation as one of the best players in the world. With Royal Birkdale dry, DeChambeau took advantage and played aggressively off the tee. Although he only hit 5 of 14 fairways, the 32-year-old American was second in strokes gained: off the tee after the morning wave.
Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the 14th hole during the first round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
In 2024 and 2025, DeChambeau finished inside the top 10 in six of his eight major starts, including a victory at the 2024 US Open and a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2024 and 2025 PGA Championships.
In the same conversation as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, he was talked about as one of the best golfers on the planet.
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But with LIV Golf’s future up in the air, DeChambeau made comments hinting that he might not return to the PGA Tour if LIV Golf closed and could instead focus on YouTube golf.
Former players and golf analysts seized on DeChambeau’s comments and said his focus on YouTube golf instead of competitive professional golf affected his performance in the majors.
Bryson DeChambeau shot a 3-under 67 in the first round of the Open Championship after missing the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the US Open in 2026. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Heading into the Open Championship, Nick Faldo said DeChambeau “has no idea about strategy.”
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Brandel Chamblee continued: “It’s almost like I’ve gone from chasing Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to chasing [YouTube golfer] Grant Horvat. “It’s like he wants to out-play all the YouTubers in the game of golf instead of out-playing everyone in the game of golf.”
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DeChambeau, who normally makes himself available to the media after his rounds, declined to speak to reporters after Thursday’s performance.
But for at least one day at the Open Championship, DeChambeau looked much more like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy than Grant Horvat.
It remains to be seen if he can continue like this.
