Unexpectedly, Bryson DeChambeau looks poised to end his curse at the Open Championship. The two-time major winner arrived at Royal Birkdale after missing the cut in all three majors this year, and few expected that streak to end. Instead, a superb opening round vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard, ahead of defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Despite the dominance, he told an Open representative that playing alongside Scheffler helped him realize something. 

“It was fun playing with Scottie, seeing how good he strikes the ball,”  Bryson DeChambeau said. “That’s something I’ve wanted to play with him for a while now. Seeing how he struck the ball today was beautiful. Makes me think, ‘Oh, man, I’ve got to work on my driving and 3-wood a little bit better’ because I hit it farther than him, but it sometimes doesn’t go straight.”

Despite his self-criticism, the two-time U.S. Open winner found more success than mistakes in the first round. He navigated the course with his powerful driving game and scored five birdies. However, as he pointed out, the round wasn’t without its mistakes. He made bogeys after a missed putt on the par-5 14th and a poor chip on the par-4 18th, finishing the round with a solid 3-under 67. 

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many Players Are Within Five Strokes of the Lead After R1?

59394015

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

At the same time, the man he was glad to play with failed to perform as well as him. Scottie Scheffler began by scoring four birdies in the first six and managed to take the early lead. But things quickly turned sour when he hit two bogeys and failed to land any birdies on the back nine. And his putting deteriorated as the rounds progressed. Scheffler finished the round 2-under 68.

Despite that, when DeChambeau was asked whether it really helps to play with the World No. 1, he was full of praise.

“Definitely. It’s a good gauge, right?” he said. “It tells me kind of where my game’s at. Also shows me where he’s at. It’s good to see it in person. You always see it on TV, but it’s just a little different sometimes when you’re right there.”

Since then, the second round on Friday appears to have put the two men on level terms. What’s interesting, however, is that Scheffler had predicted just that after his first round. 

“I felt like I could have gotten a little bit more out of it, but yeah, if I continue to do what I did today [with the striking] … I’ll be in a good spot as the week goes on,” Scheffler said. “Golf is played over 72 [shots], and I definitely liked what I saw today.”

It’s worth noting that, just before the Open, the World No. 1 shockingly missed the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open earlier this month. Many had feared that momentum may carry into the Open Championship too, but Scheffler appears to have thwarted that fate. With both men now neck-and-neck, the second round may decide who ends up in a better spot.