Nick Faldo supplied the confrontation before Bryson DeChambeau reached the first tee. Royal Birkdale supplied the examination. Across fairways hardened by summer heat, DeChambeau opened The Open with a 3 under 67 and placed himself 2 shots behind leader Jackson Suber.
During the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Faldo left no room for interpretation. “I’d say it to his face. DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy.” The 3 time Open champion argued that links golf must be threaded through slopes and bunkers rather than attacked with unrestricted power.
DeChambeau chose not to become a different golfer. He kept the driver in play, challenged the course from the tee and trusted his irons from difficult positions. Consecutive birdies at 1 and 2 gave him immediate momentum. Another 3 followed on the back 9 before a bogey at 18 kept a strong round from becoming something better.
The final number mattered. How he reached it mattered more.
Faldo Questions The Method
Faldo leaned on one of links golf’s oldest rules. Find the short grass, use the natural contours and stay away from the pot bunkers.
Royal Birkdale punishes players who ignore that command. Narrow corridors run between dunes, while uneven ground can send a drive toward trouble even after solid contact. Faldo believed DeChambeau’s desire to overpower courses would eventually leave him without a safe route forward.
DeChambeau accepted the danger.
He hit only 4 of 14 fairways, ranking near the bottom of the field in driving accuracy. Those misses rarely buried him because much of the rough was dry and thin enough to permit an aggressive recovery.
His clearest declaration came at the 380 yard 10th. DeChambeau pulled driver and sent his tee shot close to the green, shortening the hole in a way few players could attempt.
That was not traditional links golf. It was his version of course management.
Power did not remove every problem. It simply changed where DeChambeau encountered them.
Iron Play Gives The Strategy Substance
DeChambeau’s custom 3D printed irons attracted attention, but the equipment was not the story by itself. His control of those clubs gave the round its shape.
Tyrrell Hatton, who played alongside him, praised the quality of DeChambeau’s ball flight and the small number of poor shots he struck. That control became essential whenever DeChambeau missed a fairway and needed to judge a ball resting on dry, uneven ground.
The clubs were custom prototypes running from 5 iron through pitching wedge, fitted with Dynamic Gold X7 steel shafts. Such details reflected DeChambeau’s usual interest in launch, spin and repeatable contact. They only mattered because he understood how to use them under pressure.
Conditions sharpened as the round continued.
The Open’s official course report described Birkdale as fast, firm, dry and dusty. Sunlight flashed off pale fairways while dust lifted from the singed rough. A breeze that had offered little resistance early began changing direction across the exposed holes.
Balls struck the turf with a hard first bounce and kept running. Every approach demanded more than a yardage.
DeChambeau had to picture the flight, landing point and release before choosing a club. He used lower shots when the wind strengthened and trusted lofted approaches when the angle allowed him to attack.
“It was a hard fought battle out there. The wind was switching quite a bit,” DeChambeau said.
That battle exposed the difference between careless aggression and calculated force. DeChambeau was not swinging at every flag. He identified where his length could simplify a hole, then relied on touch and trajectory to complete the work.
Birkdale Finally Pushes Back
The danger in DeChambeau’s approach appeared at 14.
His drive failed to clear the dunes on the left, forcing him to lay up. He eventually reached the green but needed 3 putts from about 30 feet, surrendering a shot when the hole demanded restraint and recovery.
DeChambeau responded rather than retreating.
Birdies at 16 and 17 pushed him briefly alongside the leaders and restored the momentum lost at 14. The sequence strengthened his answer to Faldo because it came when Birkdale was becoming quicker and less predictable.
Playing in the same group offered another measure of his performance. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler shot 68, while Hatton signed for 69. DeChambeau walked away with the lowest score of the 3.
Outscoring Scheffler and Hatton proved he was not merely surviving the links. For much of the round, he dictated play.
Royal Birkdale collected one final payment at 18.
DeChambeau missed the fairway, then watched his approach from the rough run beyond the green. A missed par putt completed the bogey and changed a possible 66 into 67.
The error left him frustrated. It did not undo the previous 17 holes.
A Major Season Finds New Life
DeChambeau arrived in England carrying more than a debate about strategy.
He had missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and US Open. A player with 2 major titles had failed to reach the weekend at each of the season’s first 3 majors. Another early exit would have completed a damaging championship season.
Thursday changed that outlook.
Instead of chasing the cut line, DeChambeau entered the second round within striking distance of the lead. He could continue testing his aggressive plan without needing a reckless recovery round.
Recent Open history also offered encouragement. DeChambeau began the 2025 championship at Royal Portrush with a 78, then responded with rounds of 65, 68 and 64 to finish tied for 10th.
Birkdale provided a much stronger starting point. There was no need to force birdies simply to reach the weekend. DeChambeau could stay patient, trust his plan and keep the leaders within reach.
One round cannot settle every question about his links record. It can shift the burden of proof.
Faldo challenged DeChambeau to show that power could coexist with thought and restraint. DeChambeau responded with bold drives, controlled irons and a score bettered by only a handful of players.
He did not end the debate forever. He made sure it would continue with him near the top of the leaderboard.
READ ALSO: Links Novice Jackson Suber Shocks Royal Birkdale With Opening 65
FAQs
What did Bryson DeChambeau shoot at Royal Birkdale?
DeChambeau opened The Open with a 3 under 67. He finished 2 shots behind first round leader Jackson Suber.
What did Nick Faldo say about Bryson DeChambeau?
Faldo said DeChambeau had “zero clue of strategy” for links golf. DeChambeau answered by placing himself near the lead.
How many fairways did DeChambeau hit during his 67?
He hit only 4 of 14 fairways. His power and controlled approach play prevented most of those misses from causing serious damage.
Who played alongside DeChambeau in the opening round?
DeChambeau played with Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton. He shot 67, Scheffler recorded 68 and Hatton finished with 69.
Why was DeChambeau’s opening round important?
He had missed the cut at the season’s first 3 majors. The 67 revived his major season and put him within striking distance of the lead.
