Read the GOLF Tour Confidential for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport. This week, with the PGA Championship at Aronimink, we’ll touch on a key topic each night.
Bryson DeChambeau shot 76-71 The PGA Championship and missed the cut, making it the first time in his career that he missed both the Masters and PGA weekends in the same season. What’s going on with Bryson? And some reason to think the uncertainty of his current leagueLIV Golf, played in this last performance?
Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): It’s really strange, especially when you consider his form since March, winning back-to-back LIV events. I think what I see from Bryson at this point is increased volatility. When it’s on, it’s ON. But when he’s out, he’s far away—mostly in the majors, where the pressure is greater and the tests are tougher. I remember back to the Open Championship last summer at Portrush, where he played his worst golf in the strongest wind of the week and shot 78. Then, as the conditions eased, he was the best player of the tournament, shooting 65-68-64. I think LIV’s insecurity has added a lot to his mental plate, but I don’t expect that to last long. I think this particular eight-week stretch of a disappointing Masters, some unexpected LIV news, additional off-course drama and very difficult golf courses have made him not very focused. In a month, he’ll find a tough, fast, brutal test at the US Open, and it seems to have really taken something out of his golf ability over the years.
Josh Sens, Senior Writer (@joshsens): It’s not going too well with DeChambeau’s game lately. Unstable driving. Poor distance control on approaches. Indifferent game around the greens. It was surprising at the Masters, especially given how well he had performed in majors and the form he showed at LIV earlier in the year. But less shocking this week as he was clearly searching in his pre-tournament sessions. Hard to score well in a major championship setting when you’re not in sync throughout your bag. LIV uncertainty? The recent turmoil cannot have helped his mentality. Of course, it’s also tempting to wonder if all the energy he’s devoted to golf on YouTube is great for his tournament game. Again, according to Sean, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him find his form again in time for Shinnecock.
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Golf is unpredictable and I think Sean is right when he says that when things go wrong for Bryson, they can snowball. You can see it in his behavior. It’s been a tough couple of days for most of the field, so while it’s easy to say he’s lost after this missed cut, he’s really just three shots off the weekend, putting together some good rounds and making it not even a discussion. I think he puts added pressure on himself to play well these weeks and represent LIV positively. And in a way, he could somehow become the ultimate free agent this offseason. Maybe he’s putting too much pressure on himself to try. Although doesn’t everyone put more pressure on themselves during big weeks?
Nick Piastowski, Senior Editor (@nickpia): Oh, I definitely think the events surrounding LIV had a good connection to DeChambeau’s game. But golf is also weird. Good one week, not so good the next. I think he will fight at the US Open. There may also be some injury problems in the game. At last week’s event at LIV, DeChambeau said this after his first round: “(The body is) struggling a little bit unfortunately. The arm is feeling better. I’ve had a few things on my shoulders since then, the shot, the Ryder Cup. I don’t know what happened. It’s been training. It’s been treated. We’ve worked on it a lot. We’ve done a lot of things. I’ve been worried about me for a long time. When I won those two events (at LIV), I was I woke up every day, uh-oh, is it going to hurt me today.
