He finished sixth at the Masters of Augusta last April. He came close to victory at the PGA Championship a few weeks later, finishing in second place. And he ended up lifting the trophy at the US Open last month, his second major win and the first he could celebrate in front of thousands of fans (the previous one, also the US Open, he won with pandemic restrictions). Now, Bryson DeChambeau, who has become one of the great idols of world golf, is looking to complete a dream 2024 by ‘storming’ the The Open. And he is doing so by preparing his most strategic version…
Royal Troon, a high prestige links course, with its own legend and of maximum difficulty, will be a real challenge for the ‘scientist’. And to achieve the dream of the Claret Jug, he knows he will have to partly modify his way of playing. The weather conditions, with wind and rain as usual guests at the tournament, and the configuration of the course, very different from what he found on the PGA Tour in United States and now in LIV Golf, will be a challenge for Bryson, who as usual has everything studied in detail.
“It’s great to be here, first of all, and secondly, I have to say it’s a difficult golf course. The last nine holes today are tricky, you have to play very straight, you have to have ball control. The greens are quite good, to be honest, but hitting the ball straight and controlling it with the wind will be key this week,” revealed DeChambeau in his official pre-tournament press conference, early Tuesday morning at the Clubhouse facilities.
Another unknown for Bryson will be how to face the famous Postage Stamp, one of the mythical holes of the Scottish course: “Well, I know for sure it can be diabolical. I don’t know much about the hole, so getting the ball on the green will be good. Every day of the week that will be the goal”. Although his mind is set on how to avoid the influence of the wind… “I hit the ball very high, so… I can’t say it’s a problem, because it’s useful in many situations. But with the wind this week, I have to learn to control, or rather, to keep the ball under the wind a bit more, to fly lower”.
Playing on a links course always poses a special incentive for players like the Californian, who likes challenges: “It can be a difficult challenge, but it’s not a problem. It’s the good thing about links and the Open, what it provides by being a different event. I played very well in the past at Royal Lytham St Annes when it was firm and fast in the Walker Cup. I played well at St Andrews and I have also done so in other places. But it has always been tricky, especially at the beginning of my career where putting was not my strong point. I have improved a bit, my wedge game too and I have learned to fly the ball a bit”.
“It would be amazing if everyone could touch the Claret Jug, a dream come true, but first I have to do my job”
“Little by little I’m getting there. If I play well this week, I think I can give myself a chance, that’s what I’m focused on, and I think that over time I will feel more comfortable on these courses”, he insisted. An interesting week for DeChambeau in which he dreams of finishing off his great year in the majors: “I’m very confident, especially after winning a major and also because I played well last week. The important thing is that I can keep hitting the ball as well as I do, the iron play and putting as I know how. If I do those three things well, four with the chipping or recoveries from the bunker, I will have my chances. I know how to do it. It’s a matter of being as consistent as I was at the US Open“.
Bryson lived his victory at Pinehurst in a big way, bringing the trophy closer so that all the fans could touch it. Now he dreams of repeating it in Scottish lands: “It would be amazing if everyone could touch the Claret Jug, a dream come true. But first I have to do my job and not think too much about the future. This week the most important thing is to give yourself good opportunities, take into account the wind, the rain, the slopes, the bounces, the greens… Make sure you are doing the right thing at every moment because the conditions are very variable throughout the day, the winds change, they gust…”.
“I don’t think it’s possible to dominate everything here, there are too many obstacles around the fairways, even in the bunkers, you have to be very strategic”
In short, not to overlook a single detail and have everything planned, something that is usually part of the DNA of a player who came ready to revolutionize golf with his method: “I don’t think it’s possible to dominate everything here, there are too many obstacles around the fairways, even in the bunkers. You have to be very strategic here. I have played strategic courses in the past, at the RBC Heritage for example, at Valderrama, where I played well and made two top 10s. They are very placement-oriented courses, so in that respect I think I am a solid player. But to dominate Royal Troon I don’t know if it’s possible…”.
A very different version of Bryson DeChambeau from what could be seen in his early years and that probably has to do with his maturity: “With the passing of my father and all the struggles and conflicts we have had in our lives, the relationship with time is more frequent than ever. I think that relativity has allowed me to understand the game of golf and what it is and what it is for, and also from the point of view of being happy, yes, you realize that this great game is not always going to be here. I’m not always going to be here. I’m going to move on at some point, and I want to do everything I can in the little time I’ve been given. So, yes, I’m as happy as I’ve ever been”.
