Nick Faldo, renowned for his six major championship victories and as a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, has sharply criticized Bryson DeChambeau ahead of The Open at Royal Birkdale. Faldo, at 68, questioned the LIV Golf star’s approach to the game.
“That’s a whole part of the story, how they’re superstars at LIV then come over and can’t do it. So that’s all another story. Then they go back to be superstars. He has — I’d say it to his face — he has zero clue of strategy,”
Faldo shared this candid opinion with Sky Sports, addressing DeChambeau’s past remarks about tackling links courses. He recalled a previous quote from DeChambeau, noting his strategic missteps.
“He said it last year I think on TV: ‘I’m going to go out and attack the links.’ Well, I’ve never attacked a links. You thread it, don’t you? You feed it down the fairway,” Faldo explained.
He further detailed the nuanced approach needed for links courses:
“You look at humps and bumps and think, ‘If I send it over and feed it, it nudges back into play.’ You don’t think, ‘I’ll just bomb it down there, it’s 20 yards wide.’ Oh yeah, good luck.”
Faldo criticized DeChambeau’s stubbornness and reluctance to adapt his strategy. He emphasized the need for precision:
“I mean, on all this, even if you hit it fantastic, it lands on the corner of a divot, you still miss the fairway. So, you’ve got to think, how do I get it on the short grass? It is so important, and he’ll stand up and just keep bombing away.”
DeChambeau has experienced a challenging major season. He missed the cut at The Masters, The U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. Nevertheless, DeChambeau earned a spot in the Open Championship due to his top 10 finish the previous year.
Performing well in the early rounds of The Open is crucial for DeChambeau to make the cut and to challenge Faldo’s criticisms. Additionally, a strong showing at this final major may determine the value of a substantial $500 million deal DeChambeau is reportedly pursuing after his LIV Golf contract concludes.
Ryan Canfield, a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital, highlights ongoing sports coverage.