Bryson DeChambeau shot a first-round 67 at The Open at Royal Birkdale on Thursday to move within two shots of leader Jackson Suber. The 32-year-old American posted a three-under-par score on the rapid, sun-baked track despite bogeying his final hole.
The performance followed three consecutive missed cuts in majors for DeChambeau in 2026. He ended the opening day tied on three under par with Bob MacIntyre and one stroke ahead of his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler. Suber, a fellow American, took the early lead with a five-under-par round.
DeChambeau's round served as a response to recent criticism from golf legend Sir Nick Faldo. In a recent interview, Faldo criticized the LIV Golf player's usual bash-and-gouge approach to links courses, saying that DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy.
As with the US PGA Championship and US Open, DeChambeau declined television and written interviews after his round. He left the course without answering questions about his form or the state of LIV Golf, which is seeking cash to survive while the PGA Tour remains reluctant to grant him an easy route back.
However, DeChambeau did volunteer brief thoughts to a tournament media official, offering remarks that appeared aimed back at Faldo.
"I think you've got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course," DeChambeau said. "I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places. I feel like my strategy was nice today."
Troubles for World Number Two Rory McIlroy
While DeChambeau found his rhythm, world number two Rory McIlroy struggled to a two-over-par 72. McIlroy missed three putts inside four feet and appeared exasperated throughout his round.
Trapped between cavalier and conservative game plans, McIlroy struggled off the tee, on his approach shots, and on the greens. On the par-five 17th hole, he was forced to drop to one knee inside a bunker to play his fourth shot.
After hacking the ball out to six feet, McIlroy missed another short par putt. His second-round priority will be surviving the cut.
Dan Brown Leads English Contenders
An Argentinian golfer added to the local crowd's frustration by taunting English fans with Enzo Fernandez's World Cup celebration after sinking a monster putt, just hours after England were eliminated from the tournament.
Among the Englishmen chasing an end to 34 years of Open hurt, Dan Brown led the field with a six-under-par 66. The 31-year-old, who led during the 2024 Open before finishing 10th, puffed through eight cigarettes during his round.
With spectator warnings in place asking fans to maintain vigilance regarding fire hazards on the parched course, Brown expressed concern over his habit.
"Hopefully I can do it for the rest of the week," Brown said. "There might be a big drop-off by Sunday if I'm not allowed to. Stress levels go up, then the more I end up having."
Other English contenders had mixed results. Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton shot matching 69s, while Aaron Rai carded a 71 and Matt Fitzpatrick posted a 72. Justin Rose opened with a birdie but suffered a rough round of 75 after a double bogey at the 11th hole while battling a neck injury.
