Bryson DeChambeau said he learned more from missing the cut at the British Open than he did from the first three majors of the season.
The Crushers GC captain, who won the U.S. Open and finished runner-up in the PGA Championship, spoke to reporters on Thursday on the eve of the LIV Golf UK tournament at JCB Golf & Country Club in Rostov, England.
“I play a lot of American style golf, I’ve played a lot at Augusta (tied for sixth this year) and I pretty much know how to play that type of golf course. You can always get better in tight areas,” he said.
“But the British Open has always been a bit of a strange tournament for me. I’ve played well in normal conditions – sunny and dry – but when it gets really wet and windy and the conditions are awful I’ve always struggled.”
DeChambeau shot 76-75 at Royal Troon to finish at nine over par, and his best British Open finish was a tie for eighth in 2022.
“I felt like I had a little bit more confidence last week in the second round,” he said. “I didn’t play that well, but I felt like I had control of the golf ball for the first time in these conditions. That was a big moment for me to know that if I just worked a little bit harder for this tournament in these conditions, I can do it.”
With the Grand Slam season over, DeChambeau will return his focus to the LIV Circuit. His best individual finish this year was a tie for third place at Nashville last month.
The 30-year-old DeChambeau enters the UK tournament ranked ninth in the individual standings, but his Crushers GC team holds a sizeable lead over Legion XIII in the team competition. He will play alongside England’s Paul Casey, India’s Anirban Lahiri and John Catlin, who is filling in for the injured Charles Howell III.
“I think we’ve been playing well this year,” DeChambeau said. “We kind of stagnated in the middle of the season, but we’re starting to get back on track. I think all of our games are peaking, we’re in good shape, we’re on the right pace and we’re ready to go for a team win in Dallas, which is something we’re all looking forward to.”
DeChambeau was asked what he thought about Tiger Woods, who also missed the cut at the British Open, and there have been suggestions the 15-time major champion has reached the time to consider retirement.
“He’s probably the most influential person in golf right now,” DeChambeau said. “I think he’s the most influential person in golf right now and he deserves to play in a major. He’s done more than enough for this great sport and he continues to give back by playing in these tournaments and trying to win. He wants to win. He’s competitive.”
“… I think he can still do it. It’s going to be a tough road to beat us young guys, but he’s got the guts and the passion to never give up until he gets it done. I don’t think he can’t do it.”
There was also some buzz surrounding a video of DeChambeau playing golf with former President Donald J. Trump.
“It’s an honor to play with someone of that calibre, regardless of political affiliation,” DeChambeau said of playing against the Republican presidential candidate in 2024.
He said his aides had asked Democrats to produce similar content.
“I’d be happy to play with (former President) Obama or whoever that is on that side,” DeChambeau said. “I have no problem with that. The beauty of golf is that it can be used to bring everybody together in a cool way. I think that’s the vision for golf globally.”
–Field Level Media
