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Because of his poor form, Bryson DeChambeau spent most of the 2026 season fielding questions he would rather not answer. Three missed cuts at three majors and two years winless can do that. However, he rebounded on Thursday at Royal Birkdale. DeChambeau opened the Open Championship with a three-under 67, his best major round of the year by score. In fact, he was sitting one stroke off the lead. However, after the game, he stuck to his stance of skipping the post-round conference to avoid distraction and discomfort.

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As reported by golf journalist Bob Harig, DeChambeau refused to address the assembled media outside the course. It became his fifth consecutive major round in doing so.

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Adam Schupak called out the behavior from the media center, labeling it “some weak sauce.” He further noted that DeChambeau offered a handful of quotes through a third party, specifically R&A media officials.

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DeChambeau’s media silence is a pattern. Earlier this year, he skipped the PGA Championship press conference entirely, with his camp reportedly advising him against any interviews, especially given LIV’s precarious position.

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That was not a lone incident. He also refused all media and stayed silent once again after missing the cut at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Interestingly, golf reporter Kevin Van Valkenburg added one more layer to Thursday’s arrangement. He reported that even though DeChambeau told the R&A media officials he would not do any print or TV media, he agreed to answer a set of questions pre-submitted by one of the organization’s own staff members. The workaround is the only way to engage with the press.

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Instead of facing the press, DeChambeau controls his narrative through YouTube and pre-approved questions.

He posted a 34-minute YouTube video titled “I Missed the Cut at 3 Straight Cuts… Let’s talk about it,” detailing his mistakes and dismissing claims that content creation hurt his play. In fact, he promised the fans he would be back soon and that he was putting his best foot forward in the game.

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That said, Bryson DeChambeau has made a sharp entry in the event after facing very recent criticism from Sir Nick Faldo, pointing out that DeChambeau has ‘zero clue about strategy’ on the links course.

On the front nine, he shot 2-under 32, starting with consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2. Towards the back nine, he added another birdie at the drivable 10th, holing it from under four feet after splitting the semi-rough off the tee. Birdies at 16 and 17 moved him to 4-under with one hole remaining. But a bogey on the 18th dropped him to 3-under, one shot behind the clubhouse lead.

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Whether he can maintain the streak and make the cut at the final major remains to be seen.

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Written by

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Roshni Dhawan

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Roshni Dhawan is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the financial and human side of the professional game. Her reporting centers on player earnings and tournament economics, from net-worth profiles of pros such as Sahith Theegala to the prize-money breakdown at the 2026 U.S. Open, alongside explainer features that introduce readers to the tour's lesser-known names, including her profile of Harry Higgs. She also reports on everything that define a tournament week, covering on-course conduct, rules decisions, and the fan and media reaction that follows, with much of her 2026 work centered on the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Roshni's background is in research and brand strategy, which informs the accuracy and structure she brings to her coverage. She works methodically, prioritizing verification and the detail that a strong earnings or profile piece depends on.

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Abhimanyu Gupta

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