​Bryson DeChambeau enters The Open Championship under significant pressure, and the way some of his LIV Golf peers began the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club only adds to the anxiety surrounding his prospects. The opening day produced an exhilarating watch, with Rory McIlroy among a five-way tie for the lead and Brooks Koepka just one stroke behind. Other LIV players also found some form, as Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, and Scottie Scheffler finished the round under par in North Berwick.
Yet the day proved tough for Jon Rahm, who found himself tied for 137th after a three-over-par 73. Rahm was not alone in his struggles among LIV participants, as David Puig sat two shots behind him on five over par. Tyrrell Hatton had a rocky start with a triple bogey but recovered to finish level par, illustrating the uneven day for many in the field. While the LIV cohort faced difficulties, it wasn’t only them who labored on day one of the Scottish Open. One worrying note for LIV supporters is that Tom McKibbin is the lone member from the league seated inside the top 50 at the moment.
There’s a sense that for some LIV players a drought of tournament play since the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills has shown. The contrasting mood for those players, however, is that next week’s round of links golf could sharpen their readiness for The Open Championship. The same can’t be assured for DeChambeau.
DeChambeau has endured a fraught stretch across the year’s major championships, missing the cut in all three so far, and his Open record offers little comfort. He has only two top-10 finishes here, and those came after he had already fallen behind on the final day, underscoring that he has rarely been in serious contention for the Claret Jug. Analysts and commentators, including Johnson Wagner, feel it would be a surprise if DeChambeau were to advance to the weekend.
Rather than testing his form in a marquee event with a stacked field, DeChambeau has opted to work on his game away from the spotlight, reportedly focusing on practice. Social media chatter has even circulated clips suggesting the former US Open champion is filming a YouTube video in Canada, a sign of his attempt to reset outside the glare of tournament pressure.
The risk for DeChambeau is clear: another slow start at an Open Championship could derail his season. It took a remarkable effort to merely make the cut at Royal Portrush twelve months ago after a brutal opening, and a similar scenario would be a setback again at Royal Birkdale. There is talent in DeChambeau’s game that can still flash at any moment, implying he could still shock the field and steal the show, as he’s done before on occasion.
But if the opening salvo from the LIV contingent at the Scottish Open is any indication, DeChambeau’s Open Championship prospects may continue to face headwinds. The combination of form concerns, pressure to perform, and the added scrutiny of a LIV-powered narrative will all be in play as players head to Royal Birkdale. For DeChambeau, the path forward is straightforward: translate practice into execution on the major stage, embrace the pressure, and find the rhythm that has eluded him at recent Opens.