Bryson DeChambeau arrives at Royal Birkdale chasing redemption as Nick Faldo questions his links strategy and a brutal major streak threatens history again.
Bryson DeChambeau enters the 2026 Open Championship with more than a Claret Jug on the line.
At Royal Birkdale, the two-time U.S. Open winner is fighting to avoid one of the ugliest major-season records a player of his stature could own.
DeChambeau has missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, making him one of only three golfers to play all three majors without reaching a weekend.
Another early exit in England would make him the first multiple major champion since 1998 to miss the cut in all four majors during the same season.
Nick Faldo has already supplied the nickname, "The Rough Slam.”
The three-time Open champion also delivered a brutal diagnosis. Faldo said DeChambeau has “zero clue of strategy” when it comes to links golf, arguing that Royal Birkdale rewards patience, positioning and creativity—not a driver-first demolition plan.
That criticism attacks the identity DeChambeau has built.
His extraordinary power makes him one of golf’s biggest attractions, but links golf doesn’t care how impressive a 340-yard drive looks in the air.
Firm fairways, unpredictable bounces and narrow landing areas can turn a missile off the tee into a miserable walk through thick English rough.
Faldo’s message was simple: You don’t overpower a links course. You “thread it.”
The numbers make DeChambeau’s situation even more uncomfortable.
According to golf statistician Justin Ray, he’s two poor rounds away from joining Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw as multiple major winners who missed every major cut in one year.
Watson and Crenshaw were both approaching 50 when it happened. DeChambeau is 32, healthy and supposedly in the heart of his prime.
There’s still a path out of this nightmare.
DeChambeau opened with a disastrous 78 at Royal Portrush last year, then recovered to make the cut and finish tied for 10th.
His best Open Championship finish remains a tie for eighth at St. Andrews in 2022. Royal Birkdale’s firm, fast conditions could also reward his imagination around the greens, provided he controls his aggression and finds a cooperative putter.
The betting market has cooled, with DeChambeau drifting to approximately +6600 after failing to contend in the year’s first three majors.
Forget winning for now. Bryson DeChambeau’s first Open Championship battle is survival.
Make the weekend, silence Faldo and bury the “Rough Slam” before it becomes permanent golf history.
