Bryson DeChambeau, recent champion of the US Open at Pinehurst, goes out this Sunday with a remote chance of victory at the LIV Golf Andalucía. He is in sixth position, six strokes behind Anirban Lahiri, leader and his partner at the Crushers. DeChambeau knows he needs to play very well, but he sees himself with chances to achieve his first victory this year at LIV and the third of his career.
Because DeChambeau has not won in 2024 at LIV and it makes all the sense in the world to consider it a rarity. We are talking about a player who has been sixth in the Masters, second in the PGA Championship and first in the US Open. His average in the Majors has been so far the third place, while his average at LIV this year is a fourteenth. It can almost be considered a paradox.
His best result at LIV has been a third in Nashville and he adds four more top 10s, three of them in his best stretch of the season in the Saudi league, at the beginning of the year, just before the Masters. It may be a simple coincidence, but for whatever reason, DeChambeau has not been able to transfer his performance in the Majors to LIV Golf this year. His best result before a Major was a seventh place in Miami before the Masters, while before the PGA he was 27th in Singapore and before the US Open he finished 18th in Houston.
There is no correlation between his performances in the Majors in 2024 and his performance at LIV Golf. It may be intensity, concentration, energy or, as we say, a simple coincidence, but there is the objective data. Where there is a correlation, at least in DeChambeau’s opinion, is between Valderrama and the US Open. Bryson has a logical explanation for the good performance that US Open champions have offered on the majestic Cadiz course. “Of course it makes all the sense in the world that players who have done well in the US Open have also done well here,” DeChambeau confessed to Ten Golf. “This course is a US Open profile from the point of view of strategy and how important it is to place the ball in the right place. In addition, you have to have great control of the ball flight, also control the wedges and hit the driver very well from the tee, the same as in the US Open. I can think of, for example, the drives of holes 7, 14 or 17, very demanding. I certainly see a great correlation. Valderrama is a real test of golf, you can’t hide here,” he says.
It should be remembered that DeChambeau was second last year at Valderrama, including an exceptional round of 63 strokes. He matched the course record since it is par 71, the same result that also made, for example, Ángel Hidalgo at the Andalucía Valderrama Masters. The absolute record is owned by Bernhard Langer, who shot 62 strokes when it was still par 72. Other US Open champions with success here have been Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell or Matthew Fitzpatrick, all winners at Valderrama.
DeChambeau has chances to win the LIV Golf Andalucía despite sending three balls into the water in two days, one on the 17th on Friday, which ended in double bogey, and two on Saturday on the 4th and 17th, where he managed to save par. This perfectly explains the resilience of the double US Open champion, probably the tournament where most resilience is needed, as well as acceptance of mistakes and bad moments in a round.
His secret? You’ll be surprised. “I look for many references in Finding Nemo (the movie), especially in the character of Dory. Something happens and she leaves it behind in 30 seconds. It’s key. You don’t have to think about bad shots or bad results on a hole. You just have to forget and move on to the next one, turn the page. That’s what I told myself today, if something bad happens, just move on.”
