TROON, Scotland — Conventional wisdom, grounded in a data sample compiled over the past 164 years, says the key to success in the Open Championship is more about art than analytics, that links golf itself is best understood through poetry rather than pedagoguery. So it came as no surprise to learn Thursday that Bryson DeChambeau is taking the opposite tack in trying to solve a puzzle that continues to confound him.
His opening round in the 152nd Open was, as the Scots say, dreich — a word usually reserved for the dismal weather that has settled over the Ayrshire coast. Like a whiskey hangover, it began painfully and offered little respite. He was 6-over-par through eight holes. The skill for which he is most celebrated — the tee ball — was firing, but not much else. In approach play and putting, DeChambeau wasn’t close to breaking the top 120 in the 157-man field as the day wore on. He made 104 feet 5 inches of putts, but 54 feet 11 inches of that came on one stroke, an eagle putt on the 16th hole. He signed for a 5-over par round of 76.
Most Tour players would quickly dismiss a day like today, chalking up poor scores to the whipping wind, scattered rain and penal hazards on this venerable old links. Others certainly did.
“It’s tough. It’s really tough … It’s brutal.” — Brian Harman (73)
“Disappointed. Got off to a bad start. Missed every sort of important putt. Drove it pretty poor. It wasn’t the best day.” — Tommy Fleetwood (76)
“One of the worst rounds I think I’ve had this year … It wasn’t a fun experience.” — Tyrrell Hatton (73)
“I just didn’t adapt well enough to the conditions. Your misses get punished a lot more this week.” — Rory McIlroy (78)
“They cannae f——-g play!” a cantankerous old Scot of my acquaintance muttered derisively.
DeChambeau is a cause-and-effect guy, willing to ascribe only so much of his performance to the vagaries of the conditions. “It’s a completely different test. I didn’t get any practice in it, and I didn’t really play much in the rain. It’s a difficult test out here,” the U.S. Open champion said. “Something I’m not familiar with. I never grew up playing it, and not to say that that’s the reason; I finished eighth at St. Andrews. I can do it when it’s warm and not windy.”
Bryson DeChambeau hits out of the rough on the 15th hole during the first round of the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon. Mandatory Credit: Jack…
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