Bryson DeChambeau came under fire ahead of the Open Championship as Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee questioned his drive to win.
The two-time major winner enters this week's Open at Royal Birkdale looking to make the cut of a major for the first time this year after missing it at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the US Open. While the 32-year-old's on-course performance has dropped off, his YouTube channel has taken off.
Chamblee couldn't resist taking aim at DeChambeau's social media fame during Golf Channel's 'Live From The Open' broadcast. "One of the biggest surprises of the year is Bryson DeChambeau," Chamblee said. "It's almost like he went from chasing Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to chasing Grant Horvat. It's like he wants to outdo every YouTuber in the game instead of out play everybody in the game of golf."
DeChambeau's major struggles
DeChambeau left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in 2022 on a lucrative deal alongside fellow major winners Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, who has since returned to the PGA Tour. He won the US Open for a second time in 2024, but that remains his only win away from LIV in the past four years.
He is now hoping to avoid missing the cut at all four majors in a single calendar year, a feat not accomplished since 1998.
Faldo questions his strategy
Chamblee wasn't the only analyst to criticize DeChambeau before the year's final major. Three-time Open champion Nick Faldo also questioned his ability to strategize on a links course, speaking on Sky Sports.
Faldo said that was a whole part of the story, how LIV players are superstars there but can't perform when they come over, then go back to being superstars. He said DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy, adding that he would say it to his face. Faldo also said he has never attacked a links course, saying players need to thread the ball and feed it down the fairway.
LIV Golf's uncertain future
DeChambeau has faced questions in recent months about his future amid doubt over LIV Golf. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund pulled its financial backing from the circuit beyond this season earlier this year, leaving the future of LIV's stars uncertain.
DeChambeau raised eyebrows in May when he told ESPN that if LIV collapsed, he would love to grow his YouTube channel and play tournaments that want him.
