NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau's attempted climb up the PGA Championship leaderboard took a serious detour when his tee shot on No. 2 plopped on the stairs of a hospitality tent.
DeChambeau wasn't sure how to play that shot, telling officials, “I'm so confused right now.”
Confused by the lie, confounded by the course, DeChambeau is on the brink of missing the cut of his second straight major following his breakdown at the Masters.
DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion, was a disaster in his opening round at Aronimink Golf Club and shot a 6-over 76, about six weeks after Amen Corner put him through the wringer again at the Masters.
Take the eighth hole at Aronimink.
DeChambeau flubbed a pitch from the rough so badly that the ball landed short of the green and rolled right back to his feet on the closely mown area around the putting surface.
The initials on his yardage book seemed to sum up DeChambeau's day.
B.A.D.
This 76 is his worst score to par ever in the PGA Championship. This is the fifth time he shot 4-over or higher in the first round of a major. He made the cut in two instances, the 2018 U.S. Open and 2021 Masters.
His round over, DeChambeau headed straight to the scoring tent, and he then stormed through the parking lot and to the driving range.
DeChambeau pounded ball after ball, stopping after most shots to review his form on the mobile phone video shot by a member of his team. He did not speak to the media.
DeChambeau, one of the main players in LIV Golf, might not rush to add video from the range or the bulk of his shots at Aronimink to his YouTube channel. He's a hit on the platform, registering millions of views while he pals around on the course with Stephen Curry, Adam Sandler and Kevin Hart, and his Break 50 series has helped him earn more than 2.7 million subscribers and growing to his channel.
The good times haven't extended to the majors.
He's missed the cut in three of his last five Masters and is going to need a terrific rebound on Friday to have any shot at spending the weekend in suburban Philadelphia.
What hasn't faded is his popularity.
Not even his much-derided and debated departure to LIV has dampened the enthusiasm for DeChambeau and his lethal driver. His tee shot on No. 4 seemed to fly as high as the Goodyear Blimp that flew overhead the hole and had fans rooting him on — "He smoked that thing!" — as he walked to find his ball.
He averaged nearly 336 yards on his drives, yet the short game failed him.
On the 11th hole, he tapped a putt that rolled and rolled and rolled some more until it landed almost off the green. DeChambeau finished with one of his six bogeys on the round, including a double-bogey on eight.
DeChambeau had a bit of a wait on No. 8 for the group ahead of him to finish. He folded his arms, stared straight ahead and could only search for answers. He snacked on beef jerky but not even a quick snack could help him snap into a successful end to this hole.
Funny thing, DeChambeau actually two-putted after his ball found the bottom stair of the staircase off the second hole and he saved par.
He couldn't save much else, though he finished the round with his lone birdie of the day on the par-5 ninth.
DeChambeau is in the final year of his LIV contract and the rival league to the PGA Tour faces a murky future now that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has pulled its financial backing. Even if the league doesn't fold, could it find another investor willing to scrape up the cash needed to keep a talent like DeChambeau?
DeChambeau said earlier this month that “egos would need to get dropped” by the PGA Tour and LIV officials if there was going to be reconciliation in the golf world.
DeChambeau, who won LIV Golf events in Singapore and South Africa earlier this year, could simply step back and focus on social media content and playing the four majors if he fails to re-sign with LIV or find a path back to the PGA.
Ratings for the LIV Tour have been anemic, meaning most people see DeChambeau four times a year — at the majors.
DeChambeau gears his content toward a younger audience, and Aronimink fans packed the tee box area and lined the ropes rows deep to catch a rare glimpse of him in the Northeast, though one grumbled after the end of the round, “I hope he can fist bump better than he can play golf.”
His future in limbo, DeChambeau could find himself with two extra days to film content for his YouTube channel — he posted a PGA practice round to social media — if he can't figure out a way into the weekend.
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