The Open: Bryson DeChambeau hits back at Sir Nick Faldo with 'strategic' Birkdale round
Jackson Suber might not sound like the most familiar of golfing names, but it was the unheralded American who set the pace on a hot and breezy first day of the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.
Suber’s 65 in the tougher, drier afternoon conditions was the pick of the opening round, one better than Yorkshireman Dan Brown and his Korean playing partner Sungjae Im.
But some of the world’s big hitters are not far behind, the majority from the morning wave who made the most of the less unpredictable seaside wind. Robert MacIntyre was in the fifth group out and the Scot made the most of it with a 67, alongside former champion Francesco Molinari.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler raced to four-under par in the first six holes but never birdied again and dropped two shots coming for a 68.
Perhaps the most surprising name on the first page of the leaderboard was Bryson DeChambeau. Two years ago it wouldn’t have been, but this has been a challenging time for one of the last big names of the floundering LIV Tour who has missed the cut in all three majors so far this year.
Prior to his bid to remedy that at the Open, three-time champion Sir Nick Faldo said DeChambeau had “zero clue about strategy” and criticised him for saying he would “attack the links”.
DeChambeau (inset) responded with a 67, the highlight being a typically booming tee shot on the par-four 10th that completely wiped out the dogleg. Although that approach probably proves Faldo’s point, the divisive American still registered a birdie.
DeChambeau refused to speak to the media for the fifth consecutive major round but did answer questions for the R&A’s in-house channel.
In one 18-second response he used the word ‘strategic’ or ‘strategy’ three times, pointedly stressing the emphasis. “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,” he said.
“I feel like my strategy was nice today.”
Rory McIlroy was among the later of the afternoon starters and therefore got the driest conditions, but as ever drew the biggest galleries.
Cheered onto every green, the Northern Irishman found it a struggle and was never under par, although every time he bogeyed he bounced back quickly, picking up shots on the hardest holes coming in: 13, 15 and 18.
In the same group, Sheffield’s Matt Fitzpatrick – many people’s tip before the tournament given his form this year – also struggled to get going. His first and only birdie came at the par-three 12th but he gave it straight back at the next and finished three over par.
Collin Morikawa’s return to prominence continued. The 2021 Open champion got to four under at the dogleg 10th but couldn’t sustain it, dropping a shot on the last to fall to two under.
Like many, finding the wispy rough was invariably a recipe for a bogey given the lack of spin approaching bone-dry greens.
Cameron Young – second on his debut at St Andrews four years ago – was three under.
Sheffield’s Sam Bairstow, in the third-to-last group, was plotting his way around at three over.