“I played with him a lot in college, and he was not that good…”
The Claret Jug was never a realistic possibility the last 72 hours, but Bryson DeChambeau received cheers worthy of a champion when he wrapped up his Open Championship on the 18th green Sunday.
With good reason.
Having shot himself out of contention after an opening 7-over 78, DeChambeau spent the final three rounds at Royal Portrush chasing respectability — and chasing away the demons of that disastrous Thursday. Instead of checking out, he put the throttle down.
The result? 65-68-64. It’s the second-lowest score over the last 54 holes in the 153 years of The Open. He played the last three rounds in 16 under, and his final-round 64 matches his best round in 124 career rounds in majors.
He was 7 over and tied for 144th after the first round, and he finished at 9 under to tie for 10th. Few things in golf are more lethal when the Crushers GC captain lets loose. No wonder the gallery showed its appreciation, with DeChambeau responding with heartfelt thanks.
“That’s what I did for the past three days,” DeChambeau said. “I said, every time is go time, like you’ve got to come back from five, six back. That’s the mentality I had. I said I’m going to give myself a chance. I’m not going to pout. I’m going to be free. It’s Sunday of a major. I’m going to be free.
“Kind of like what Scottie is doing right now.”
Ah, Scottie Scheffler, his fellow Dallas-area resident in Texas. Scheffler was lapping the field when DeChambeau spoke to the media Sunday afternoon. Even if DeChambeau had shot even par in the opening round, he still would’ve been hard-pressed to catch Scheffler, who shot his own 64 in the second round to set up a run towards his third career major. Those were the two lowest rounds in the field this week.
“Scottie’s in a league of his own right now,” DeChambeau said. “I played with him a lot in college, and he was not that good, so he’s figured out a lot of stuff since then. It’s really impressive to see and something we can all learn from for sure.”
What DeChambeau learned the past three days at Royal Portrush may prove very valuable in future Open starts. Links courses haven’t exactly been his forte, and since he competes on them just one week a year, the comfort factor takes time. Ask Phil Mickelson, who finally solved The Open in his 20th start.
Just how many links secrets DeChambeau was able to unlock from Royal Portrush remains to be seen, though. After some nasty weather in the opening round, the final three days offered favorable, sunny conditions. Even DeChambeau realizes that he didn’t face the full brunt of usual Open elements.
“Look, it was fair conditions the past few days,” he said. “I always told you guys I like it when it’s fair conditions. I can play well.
“I still have to crack the code when it’s raining and windy. But I feel like we’re getting close to some opportunities and solutions for that. It just takes a long time to develop stuff. I’m starting to learn.”
He’s excited about the golf ball he’s developing, thinks that will be a huge benefit for his unique swing, especially in how it reacts against the wind in future Opens.
He’s also excited about how he managed his putting this week. That’s held him back on past links starts, but he managed the speed this week, suffering just one three-putt.
“Putting is usually a difficult thing for me to control, the speed,” DeChambeau said. “We did a good job of that this week. I barely three-putted and that was my goal going into it. Coming back next year, that’s another goal of mine. If I can keep doing that and give myself a better chance with a new golf ball — hopefully — with some flighted shots and give myself a chance to win the Claret Jug.”
For now, he has the final four tournaments of the LIV Golf season, with a chance to win the Individual Championship (he’s currently third in the standings) and win a second Team Championship with his Crushers. Then there’s the Ryder Cup in late September at Bethpage Black. He’s all but guaranteed to be on the team — in fact, U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley left him an inspirational message in his locker this week.
And who knows, maybe DeChambeau will partner with Scheffler, an intimidating twosome to be sure as the Americans hope to bounce back from a 2023 loss to the Europeans in Rome.
“This year’s no joke,” DeChambeau said. “We’re tired of it. We’re tired of losing.”
He seemed to get emotional as he spoke, twirling a tee in his hands to help him stay in check. It was an emotional week for DeChambeau, one that ended without a trophy but definitely on a high note. As bright as the weather was Sunday at Portrush, his future on links courses seems even brighter.
This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
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