Faldo holds nothing back about DeChambeau ahead of The Open: Power is not enough for Royal Birkdale
Bryson DeChambeau arrives at The Open 2026 carrying a burden unlike any he has faced since becoming a two-time U.S. Open champion. The American missed the cut at all three previous majors this season, and his final chance to avoid a year without a single weekend appearance at a major awaits him from July 16 to 19 at Royal Birkdale. It is there, on one of England's most demanding links courses, that his trademark approach based on clubhead speed, driving distance and aggressively attacking flags will come under particular scrutiny.
The most direct criticism ahead of the start of the tournament came from Nick Faldo, winner of six major titles and a three-time champion of The Open. Speaking to Sky Sports Golf, Faldo assessed that DeChambeau has a very poor feel for the strategy required on links courses. His message was not that the American lacks sufficient technical quality, but that power alone does not solve the problems created by narrow corridors, deep bunkers, firm surfaces, uneven bounces and wind that can change within just a few minutes.
DeChambeau is responding to the criticism in the manner that has defined much of his career: with further experimentation. He has brought a new set of custom-made 3D-printed irons to Royal Birkdale, intending to achieve a more consistent ball response, particularly from longer grass. Changing equipment immediately before the final men's major of the season further underlines how important this week is for the 32-year-old American. The result will show whether he has found a technical solution or whether the decisive factor will still be knowing when to attack and when to accept the safer shot.
Faldo's criticism is aimed at the mindset
Faldo told Sky Sports that he would also express his opinion directly to DeChambeau and claimed that the American does not have enough understanding of links golf strategy. He particularly challenged the idea that such a course can simply be "attacked". According to his explanation, a successful links player does not try to conquer every hole with maximum distance, but instead calculates in advance where the ball must finish so that the next shot can be played from a favourable angle.
That approach involves planning backwards from the green. Faldo described how, during his winning performances, he looked for slopes, contours and parts of the fairway that could guide the ball towards a safer area. Instead of automatically reaching for the driver, he often selected a long iron or wood that allowed him to control the height, direction and total distance after the bounce. On a firm links surface, a shot does not finish where the ball first touches the ground, so predicting its movement is just as important as the flight through the air itself.
Faldo's assessment carries particular weight because of his record in golf's oldest major. He won The Open in 1987 at Muirfield, in 1990 on the Old Course at St Andrews and again in 1992 at Muirfield. All three victories were built on discipline, distance control and the ability to adapt to the conditions, qualities he considers essential at Royal Birkdale as well. His criticism is therefore not merely a generational clash between traditional and modern golf, but a warning that statistically impressive power can become a limitation if a player refuses to adapt his shot selection to the course in front of him.
DeChambeau has previously sparked debate by claiming that the driver would be the key to success on links courses. At Royal Portrush in 2025, he opened the tournament with a score of 78, seven over par, after which he had to play almost perfectly for the rest of the week to get back into contention. Official data from The Open shows that he then shot 65, 68 and 64 to finish tied for tenth. That turnaround confirms that he has enough variety to produce a good result, but it also shows how dearly he can pay for an initial plan that does not suit the conditions.
Royal Birkdale punishes the wrong angle, not only a bad shot
Royal Birkdale, located in Southport on the north-west coast of England, will host The Open for the eleventh time in 2026. According to official information from the organisers, the competitive portion of the 154th edition of the tournament begins on Thursday, July 16, and ends on Sunday, July 19. The course is known for fairways set between high sand dunes, meaning players often have a clearer view of the target than at some other classic links courses, but the penalties for missing remain extremely severe.
Further challenges are created by changes introduced since The Open was last held at the course in 2017. The organisers highlighted the redesigned fifth hole as a classic risk-and-reward decision: a player can try to move close to the green with a powerful shot, but bunkers and deep areas behind the target await, while a safer lay-up leaves a controlled wedge shot. The seventh hole has been given an elevated green with steep run-offs and some of the deepest bunkers on the course. The fourteenth is now a long par five with a series of hazards on the fairway, while the new fifteenth hole, a par three, visually narrows the entrance towards a large green that is difficult to hold when the wind strengthens.
The finishing eighteenth hole has been changed in particular. By moving the teeing position, the shot has become straighter towards the clubhouse, but the view from the tee is filled with bunkers that come into play precisely for those trying to shorten the second shot with a driver. Royal Birkdale's head professional Gregg Pettersen explained on The Open's official website that he expects many players to deliberately choose a shorter first shot to remove some of the risk. It is almost a textbook example of Faldo's argument: the best decision may not produce the longest shot, but the simplest route to par or a birdie opportunity.
Links golf is further complicated by the fact that the same hole can require a completely different plan at different times of the day. The wind affects the height and lateral movement of the ball, a dry surface increases its roll, while rain can slow the course and change the club selection. In such conditions, a predetermined formula has limited value. A player must be prepared to abandon the planned shot, shorten the swing, lower the trajectory or use the ground instead of trying to stop every approach with a high ball flight.
Three missed cuts have turned The Open into the test of the season
DeChambeau's major results in 2026 contrast sharply with his reputation as one of the most dangerous players in the biggest tournaments. At the Masters, according to the official tournament leaderboard, he completed the first two rounds in 150 strokes, six over par, after scores of 76 and 74. At the PGA Championship at Aronimink, he recorded 76 and 71, a total of seven over par, which was also not enough to make the cut. At the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, he opened with a round of 70, but shot 75 on the second day and finished the tournament five over par.
The run is particularly unexpected because DeChambeau had regularly been in contention for the biggest titles during the previous two seasons. He won the U.S. Open in 2024 at Pinehurst, where he defeated Rory McIlroy by one stroke after a dramatic finish. He was runner-up at the PGA Championship in both 2024 and 2025, while he finished inside the top ten at The Open in 2025. His official profile on The Open's website also records an eighth-place finish at St Andrews in 2022, showing that his relationship with links golf is not simply a story of permanent failure.
Royal Birkdale, however, also carries an unpleasant personal memory. DeChambeau played there in 2017, in his first appearance at The Open, shooting 76 and 77 and missing the cut. Since then, he has won two major titles, significantly increased his speed and distance from the tee, changed his approach to equipment and become one of the most recognisable players of his generation. Returning to the same course nine years later therefore provides a rare direct comparison between the young professional who was only beginning to learn links golf and the experienced champion who must now prove that he has learned how to manage its risks.
The possibility of a fourth consecutive missed cut increases the pressure, but it does not describe DeChambeau's entire season. On the LIV Golf circuit, he won consecutive titles in Singapore and South Africa. In Singapore, he defeated Richard T. Lee in a playoff, while in Johannesburg he beat Jon Rahm on the first extra hole. Those results confirm that his form and ability to win have not disappeared; the problem is transferring that level of play to four-day majors, on courses with different demands and with every mistake carrying greater consequences.
New 3D-printed irons as an answer to unpredictable shots
DeChambeau confirmed before the start of the tournament that he will use a new set of 3D-printed irons. According to his explanation reported in the British media, printing each individual component takes approximately one hour, but the final production includes additional machining and other processes. He stressed that the new construction and grooves should produce more consistent spin on shots from the rough and that documentation relating to the clubs had been sent to the United States Golf Association to verify compliance with the rules.
Such a change fits his professional identity perfectly. DeChambeau has for years been associated with single-length clubs, an unusually low driver loft, detailed ball measurements and attempts to reduce technical variables to a predictable system. His tendency to experiment also earned him the nickname "Mad Scientist", but Royal Birkdale raises the question of whether the unpredictability of links golf can be eliminated through equipment at all. The new irons may improve contact or spin control, but they cannot decide when to avoid a bunker, accept a longer approach or play the ball low beneath the wind.
A change immediately before a major also carries risk. A player must trust the distances produced by every numbered club, the reaction of the ball from different lies and the feel during a shortened swing. On a links course, where three-quarter swings and intentionally lowered trajectories are often used, nuances in the behaviour of the irons can be just as important as maximum precision on a full shot. DeChambeau believes the new equipment gives him greater consistency, but confirmation of that claim will come only under competitive pressure.
His statements ahead of the tournament show that he is not arriving merely with the goal of making the cut. DeChambeau emphasised that any result other than victory would disappoint him, which is consistent with his competitive character, but also raises expectations further after three early exits from majors. In such an environment, the first mistake can easily trigger an overly aggressive response. The ability not to try to regain a stroke immediately with a risky play after a bogey is precisely part of the patience Faldo is warning about.
DeChambeau already has proof that he can adapt
The strongest argument against the claim that DeChambeau does not understand links golf is not theoretical, but based on results. His appearance at Royal Portrush in 2025 began disastrously, but over the next three rounds he was among the best players in the tournament. Recovering from a 78 to finish at nine under par required not only power, but also precision, trajectory control and mental resilience. Similarly, his eighth-place finish at St Andrews in 2022 came on a course that turns creativity and the use of the ground into fundamental skills.
Faldo nevertheless warns of the difference between a player's ability to adapt after a poor score and the discipline to choose a sustainable strategy from the first tee. A major title is often lost in a short period, particularly when wind and bunkers turn one poor decision into a double bogey. DeChambeau therefore does not have to abandon the driver completely or give up his greatest advantage. His task is to identify the holes where distance genuinely reduces risk and those where it merely brings the most dangerous hazards closer.
Royal Birkdale will provide a clear answer in that regard. The redesigned fifth hole rewards accurately assessed risk, the fourteenth demands precise positioning before the approach, the fifteenth requires control of the ball flight, while the eighteenth can punish a player's desire to overcome a strategic problem with a spectacular finishing shot. Each of those situations directly touches on the debate Faldo has opened. It is not a choice between old and new golf, but a question of whether modern power can be subordinated to a decision suited to the course.
DeChambeau is experienced enough to understand the scale of the challenge and unconventional enough to try to find his own solution. His new irons will attract attention, but the most important tool this week will not have been produced by a 3D printer. It will be the ability to accept a bad bounce, change the plan in the middle of a round and send the ball to a safe part of the fairway even when the crowd expects a spectacular shot. His answer to Faldo will not come in a statement before the tournament, but in the position of the ball after the first, second and every subsequent strategic decision at Royal Birkdale.
Sources:
- Sky Sports – Faldo's comments on DeChambeau's strategy and the demands of links golf (link)
- Sky Sports – DeChambeau's confirmation that he will use a new set of 3D-printed irons at The Open (link)
- talkSPORT – DeChambeau's comments on the construction of the new irons, the ball's behaviour from the rough and verification of the equipment's compliance (link)
- The Open – official information on the dates and programme of the 154th edition of the tournament at Royal Birkdale (link)
- The Open – overview of changes to the fifth, seventh, fourteenth, fifteenth and eighteenth holes at Royal Birkdale (link)
- The Open – Bryson DeChambeau's official profile and results from his previous appearances at The Open (link)
- Masters Tournament – report and official data on DeChambeau's missed cut in 2026 (link)
- PGA Championship – DeChambeau's official profile and result at the 2026 tournament at Aronimink (link)
- U.S. Open – DeChambeau's official result at the 2026 tournament at Shinnecock Hills (link)
- LIV Golf – reports on DeChambeau's victories in Singapore and South Africa in 2026 (Singapore; South Africa)