Bryson DeChambeau

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Matt Audilet

By Matt Audilet

Contributing Sports Writer

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Bryson DeChambeau got off to a hot start in his 2026 campaign at The Open Championship, firing off a 3-under 67 at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.

Earlier this week, three-time Open winner Nick Faldo made waves around the golf world with a sharp criticism of DeChambeau — saying the American golfer has no "strategy" when it comes to playing links golf.

"I'd say it to his face — DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy," Faldo said.

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After his impressive opening round on Thursday, DeChambeau sent a clear response to Faldo — referencing the word "strategy" several times in his post-round interview.

"You know, I think you've got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course. And I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic," DeChambeau said. "Focused super hard on placing it in the right places — besides 18. I placed the ball in some good areas. ... Other than that I felt like my strategy was nice today."

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DeChambeau opened his round with back-to-back birdies on No. 1 and No. 2, shooting 2-under on the front nine. He recorded three birdies and two bogeys on the back nine, including a bogey on the par-4 18th.

Bryson DeChambeau

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DeChambeau, alongside Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton, will tee off at 10:04 a.m. ET for their second round on Friday.

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