Bryson DeChambeau Is Losing the Plot

For many years, Bryson DeChambeau has had an easy rebuttal to any criticism he faced for doing things (shall we say) differently:

Say whatever you want, but my results justify my decisions.

It’s still a little early to make any definitive statements. DeChambeau may simply be mired in the kind of slump that all great golfers have to endure from time to time. But after opening with a 76 in the first round of the 2026 PGA Championship, and coming off an embarrassing missed cut at the Masters, it feels like the plot is beginning to slip away from DeChambeau at majors. Aronimink is asking a question he does not (currently) know how to answer.

How can you play great golf if you cannot hit an iron a precise distance?

DeChambeau has always been adamant that playing with single-length clubs is a cheat code, that it’s easier to swing on plane if you never have to vary how far you stand from the ball. And for much of his career, he’s been correct. He’s won two U.S. Opens, he’s contended in three PGA Championships and a couple Masters, and he’s won tournaments all around the world. But in the last few years, he’s made the decision to dive deeper into the equipment world, and is currently playing with a set of irons he made with a 3D printer. He is convinced this is the best method to chase greatness, and there are rumors there will be Bryson DeChambeau-branded irons available for purchase in the near future. But his results, particularly away from LIV, have been mixed.

DeChambeau’s wedge play has become noticeably worse. That was evident on Thursday at Aronimink. On the 11th hole, he had only 110 yards to the hole and committed the cardinal sin of hitting it long, leaving him a severe downhill putt from the fringe. He barely brushed at the ball, yet it ended up 52 feet from the hole. It was a harbinger of things to come.

On 13, a short par 4, he tried laying up off the tee and hit an iron into the rough. Bogey.

On 17, a long par 3, he missed an iron so far to the right, he was lucky his ball hit the face of the grandstand, otherwise it might still be rolling. He made another bogey.

On 18, from the middle of the fairway, he dumped an iron into the bunker, ended up with a fried egg lie, and made another bogey.

When DeChambeau won at Pinehurst, his superpower wasn’t his precision as much as it was his ability to behave like a magician, getting up and down from everywhere. That magic has abandoned him in recent majors. On the eighth hole, another par 3, he missed the green with an iron, drew two terrible lies on consecutive chips, and ended up making a double.

Has DeChambeau forgotten what made him great? He did not stop to speak with reporters after his round, so it’s hard to say. According to Justin Ray of the 21st Group, in his last four opening rounds in major championships, DeChambeau has lost 10.01 strokes to the field around the green. We have plenty of evidence that he is too talented to be bombing out of majors like this, but with LIV Golf’s future in flux and DeChambeau trying to figure out where to play next season, it’s clear what’s actually suffering the most is his approach play and his chipping. The comforting cocoon of LIV setups appears to be masking some larger deficiencies.