The victory waits for no one, not even the greatest. And that is exactly what happened with Bryson DeChambeau at the greens of Royal Troon. The Open Championship officially took off on July 18 and the first round saw the man of the people fail miserably. Wondering what was DeChambeau’s performance? Well, let’s just say it was not a treat for the fans. 

After performing great in the last three majors, DeChambeau had a tough start to his Open Championship. It hasn’t even been months since the golfer won the 2024 U.S. Open and became a fan favorite, however, he was seen struggling on the front nine. DeChambeau scored a below-average 6-over 42 on the front 9 holes. It was clear that he was having a rough time, with four bogeys and a double bogey. The wind at the venue was also of no help, as the golfer had trouble hitting the greens and fairways due to the wind. 

The start was like a nightmare start for DeChambeau, one can only imagine how he’ll perform in the upcoming rounds.  He began the day with a three-putt on the first hole. And when fans thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did! The golfer made a shot on the 6th hole that barely moved, traveling only 4 yards!  The par-5s proved to be a challenge too, with DeChambeau making errors that cost him shots.

He missed the green by a mile on the eighth hole and couldn’t make a putt to save par. However, fans got to see glimpses of their favorite golfer performing well after some time, when he managed to recover a bit on the fifth hole, hitting a good shot from 30 yards out and saving par. But the average performance only got him five players, and fans were ready to show their disappointment on the social media platform X. 

Fans comment on DeChambeau’s performance

Fans were quick to react when Bryson DeChambeau struggled on the course, and some didn’t hold back! Despite having three rounds left to play, some fans were already questioning whether DeChambeau has what it takes to be a great player.

“Bryson’s opening 9 is a gift from the golf gods reminding him you might’ve broken modern golf with all your weird bull shit, but you didn’t break what golf was intended to be #TheOpenChampionship”, said one user, addressing DeChambeau’s epic win at the U.S. Open. But the link courses at the Royal Troon are considered to be the purest form of golf and the toughest. Fans are asking questions whether or not DeChambeau has what it takes to be a great player.

Another user added to the conversation and said, “the beauty of links right there. no one hits it better, getting absolutely murdered”, hinting at the poor performance that most golfers had. Ludvig Åberg is currently finished at T74, right behind Tom Kim and Tommy Fleetwood at T67. One fan mockingly talked about the hole 6th shot, which traveled only 4 yards, and said, “I particularly enjoyed the shot in the deep rough that went nowhere, even with those biceps!!”

One user went all out and said, “Bryson DeChambeau describes himself as “one of the best putters in the world”. Not today he’s not. He’s currently ranked 74th vs the field right now. His analytical ‘angles’ approach probably doesn’t fit quirky British links greens.” DeChambeau got the “best putter” title after his win at the 2020 U.S. Open and after that, the golfer has only lived up to the title until today. Fans are saying the decline in his performance is because of the link courses and probably the golfer needs new strategies! 

Some fans said, “Bryson stinks on links. Can’t spray and pray here, “ taking a lighthearted jab at the LIV golfer.
One fan even made a clever pun! “Dechamblowing” instead of “blowing it”, see what they did there? It’s a lighthearted way to poke fun at DeChambeau’s tough day on the course. Are you wondering that even after facing all these difficulties and today’s poor performance, DeChambeau will be able to turn the tables? Well, that is something only time can tell. So keep yourself buckled because the ride is far from over!