LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau on Thursday told the R&A that he was “declining to speak to TV or print media” following his opening round at the Open Championship, a “recurring theme for DeChambeau in 2026,” according to Joel Beall of GOLF DIGEST. Thursday marked the fifth straight major championship round in which he declined to talk to the media afterward. Though, he “did answer a few questions from an R&A official about his round.” DeChambeau’s media blackout “comes amid uncertainty regarding his future” as LIV seeks a new buyer, with it “unclear if anyone is willing to underwrite the league.” DeChambeau’s contract with LIV is also up after the year, making him a potential free agent (GOLF DIGEST, 7/16).
OWE US SOMETHING: Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard noted pro athletes “not obligated to speak with the media at all.” However, he said of DeChambeau, “On this particular case though, I would argue that he owes the tournament, the R&A, something. That he owes the sponsors and the fans something.” Hoggard: “He is clearly not happy with the narrative around his story right now. He is clearly not happy with some of the media that he is getting. I would counter to that and say today was the perfect opportunity to stand in front of an official microphone and change that narrative himself” (“Live From The Open,” Golf Channel, 7/16). GOLFWEEK’s Eamon Lynch wrote golfers “don’t owe the media their time.” It is a “grace and favor arrangement and DeChambeau is entitled to withhold his.” But what “should have been a decisively good day turned into another stumble” (GOLFWEEK, 7/16).
CONTROL THE NARRATIVE: GOLF’s James Colgan wrote DeChambeau has always been “a guy who liked to have control.” DeChambeau’s efforts as a YouTuber and content creator are “well-documented, but they are also something else: Calculated.” Colgan noted his pages are “not just popular, they’re carefully crafted -- maintained by a team of creative producers whose sole job is to advance Bryson’s personal brand.” Colgan: “He knows that he owns a massive and important golf audience. He knows that his audience belongs to him alone. And he knows that this audience means he does not need to answer questions about his recent run of majors without a made-cut, because he can just make a video on his account … and call it a day.” Colgan added, “He can avoid the risk that he will accidentally say something silly, or be taken out of context, or be turned to clickbait. He can have control” (GOLF, 7/16).
STRATEGY IS KEY: World Golf HOFer Nick Faldo on Tuesday discussed DeChambeau’s struggles at the Open Championship over the years, saying, “Bryson has zero clue of strategy.” In London, James Corrigan noted following DeChambeau’s round of 3-under par on Thursday, DeChambeau “was not asked directly about Faldo’s criticism,” but there is “no doubt his answer was a response.” DeChambeau: “You’ve got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course. I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places. … I feel like my strategy was nice today.” Corrigan wrote that is “a lot of ‘strategy’” (London TELEGRAPH, 7/16).
