​US golfer Bryson DeChambeau watches his drive from the 17th tee during practice for the 154th Open Golf championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club near Southport in north-west England on July 13, 2026. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE GettyBryson DeChambeau’s career off the course is experiencing a growth spurt. He signed a new deal with Google Health, extending his long-term partnership with the brand’s cloud services.He keeps experimenting with technology to improve his golf game. The most prominent example of that was his choice to go with 3D-printed irons. He is willing to try things that other golfers might steer away from.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDeChambeau wants to keep track of his health and recovery statistics through this partnership using the Fitbit Air and bring the same to people.But the interesting thing about this is that Google Fitbit Air is a direct competitor of Whoop. The latter is the health and analytics partner of the PGA Tour.They partnered for the first time in 2021 and recently extended that through 2028. The health technology market is rapidly growing and the demand for brands like Whoop is increasing.Google wasn’t going to miss out on that, so they launched the Fitbit Air this year and now they want to eat into Whoop’s golf market share using DeChambeau.BrysonGettyUS golfer Bryson DeChambeau watches his drive from the 17th tee during practice for the 154th Open Championship.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDeChambeau has been the target of heavy criticism before the 2026 Open Championship. He missed the cut at all three previous majors this year.Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee ripped his focus on YouTube content. Chamblee voiced his opinion during a live television broadcast on Tuesday.“It’s almost like he went from chasing Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to chasing Grant Horvat,” Chamblee said.Sir Nick Faldo also questioned the golfer’s approach to links courses.“DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy,” Faldo claimed on Monday.These comments dominated the media cycle before Thursday arrived. But DeChambeau finished with an opening round 67 at Royal Birkdale.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDuring the post-round interview, he responded to Faldo’s criticism.Following the opening round that put him one shot behind the early leaders, DeChambeau declined to speak with the traditional print and television media.However, he did answer pre-submitted questions for the R&A’s in-house channel.DeChambeau delivered a subtle, sarcastic rebuke to Faldo by pointedly using the words “strategy” and “strategic” quite a few times.“I think you’ve got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course,” he said. “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. Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. I just need to hit more fairways