Bryson DeChambeau has one shot this weekend to redeem the failures of 2026. But even before he tees off at the Royal Birkdale, one golf legend wasn't happy with DeChambeau's style of play.

"He has zero clue of strategy." That was Sir Nick Faldo's opinion about Bryson DeChambeau on Sky Sports, two days before The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. DeChambeau has missed the cut in all three majors in 2026. Only one major is left this season, and Faldo believes DeChambeau does not know how to play smart on a links course.

"He said it last year, and I think on TV, he said, I'm going to go out and attack the lynx. Well, I've never attacked a lynx, you thread it, don't you? You feed it down the fairway; it's really important." Faldo said on Sky Sports.

Faldo expanded on why bombing the ball doesn't work on links courses. "You look at humps and bumps, and what have you, if I send it over and feed it, it nudges back into play," he said. "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."

The numbers back up the concern. DeChambeau triple-bogeyed the 18th on Friday at Augusta to miss the Masters cut by two shots.

At the PGA Championship at Aronimink, DeChambeau shot 76 and 71 and finished 7-over par. At the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, he shot 70 and 75 and missed the cut by one shot. In the first three major tournaments of 2026, he was 18-over par in total.

Faldo also noted the broader pattern of LIV players struggling at majors. "That's a whole part of the story, how they're superstars at LIV, then come over and can't do it," Sir Nick Faldo said on Sky Sports.

DeChambeau's struggles at majors this season tell one story. His record specifically at The Open tells another, and it doesn't make for comfortable reading heading into Royal Birkdale.

DeChambeau's Record at The Open Makes for Difficult Reading

The Open has been DeChambeau's toughest major. He has finished in the top 30 only twice in eight appearances.

However, he comes into this year's tournament with some confidence after finishing tied for 10th at Royal Portrush last year, where he made the cut in a major for the last time.

Faldo's conclusion was blunt. "You've got to think, how do I get it on the short grass? It is so important," Sir Nick Faldo said on Sky Sports. "And here's standard, I'll just keep bombing away, and they think, get it further down. But you can be completely blocked out on a lynx."

What do you think? Can DeChambeau turn his major form around at Royal Birkdale? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar