Bryson DeChambeau hits back at Nick Faldo after hot Open Championship start: ‘Incredibly strategic’

Bryson DeChambeau, known for his unconventional approach to golf, kicked off the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with an impressive performance, finding himself among the leaders after the first day. His play served as a direct response to recent criticism from six-time major champion Nick Faldo, who questioned DeChambeau's strategic thinking when playing on links golf courses. Faldo had stated that DeChambeau has "zero clue of strategy" for links golf, suggesting that instead of 'attacking' such courses, players should 'thread' the ball down the fairway. "You don't think, ‘I'll just bomb it down there, can't see where I'm going, it's 20 yards wide.’ Oh yeah, good luck. You've got to think, ‘How do I get it on the short grass?’ It's so important," Faldo had said, adding that DeChambeau "just keep bombing away… but you can be completely blocked out on a links."

Faldo's criticism seemed particularly curious given DeChambeau's T10 finish at last year's Open at Royal Portrush. However, his Thursday performance at Royal Birkdale made Faldo's comments look even more questionable. Teeing off in the morning alongside Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton, DeChambeau put on a show, opening with back-to-back birdies. He maintained his momentum throughout the round, making three more birdies against two bogeys to finish with a 67 (-3). This score placed him near the top of the leaderboard, just two shots off the early lead.

Following his round, DeChambeau opted out of a traditional press conference, instead agreeing to a brief interview with an R&A representative without other reporters present. "It was a hard-fought battle out there. The wind was switching quite a bit. It was fun seeing a lot of the fans going at us, and they were rooting for all of us. It was fun just seeing the ups and downs of the group, but we all played pretty well. It was a lot of fun," DeChambeau began. "There’s just some driving holes out there I’ve got to work on. Other than that, I played really well. Made some good putts. I three-putted once, but that’s life."

When asked about lessons learned from the first round, DeChambeau subtly addressed Faldo's criticism of his lack of "strategy." "I think you’ve got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course. I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places," DeChambeau said, clearly referencing Faldo's remarks. He added, "Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. But I just need to hit more fairways. Other than that, I feel like my strategy was nice today."

Beyond his light jab at Faldo, Bryson also offered interesting insights into playing alongside Scottie Scheffler, a rare occurrence given DeChambeau's LIV Golf affiliation. "It was fun playing with Scottie, seeing how good he strikes the ball. That’s something — I’ve wanted to play with him for a while now. Seeing how he struck the ball today was beautiful," DeChambeau said of Scheffler. "Makes me think, oh, man, I’ve got to work on my driving and 3-wood a little bit better because I hit it farther than him, but it sometimes doesn’t go straight." He described playing with the World No. 1 as a "good gauge" for his own game. "It tells me kind of where my game’s at. Also shows me where he’s at. It’s good to see it in person," DeChambeau said. "You always see it on TV, but it’s just a little different sometimes when you’re right there."

Looking ahead to the rest of the week, DeChambeau expressed his hope to maintain his strong play through Sunday. "I’m having a lot of fun. If I can keep it going and give the crowd something to cheer for on Sunday, that’s all I can ask for." His solid start and post-round comments indicate DeChambeau is ready to prove that his approach to links golf, whatever it may be, is effective at the highest level.