Bryson DeChambeau Ripped by Nick Faldo over Links Golf Strategy Ahead of 2026 British Open

Bryson DeChambeau prides himself on his meticulous approach to golf, but legend Nick Faldo believes the two-time U.S. Open champion is totally off base with how he tackles traditional links courses.

Faldo asserted on the Sky Sports Golf podcast that "DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy" ahead of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

"He said last year: 'I'm going to go out and attack the links'. Well, I've never attacked a links," Faldo said. "You thread it, don't you? You feed it down the fairway. You look at humps and bumps. If I send it over and feed it, it nudges back into play. You don't think: 'Oh, I'll just blast it down there. Can't see where I'm going'. The fairway is 20 yards wide.

"Good luck! Even if you hit it fantastic and it lands on the corner of a divot, you might still miss the fairway. So you've got to think: 'How do I get it on the short grass?' It is so important."

Faldo is a three-time winner of the Open Championship and had 11 top-10 finishes from 1982-96. He certainly understood the blueprint for links-style courses.

Golf is a lot different from Faldo's peak in the 1980s and early '90s. In addition to all of the added distance, advancements in club technology make it easier to work out of trouble.

Still, Royal Birkdale isn't like a lot of courses golfers play as part of the PGA Tour or LIV Golf schedules, and it requires the right game plan.

DeChambeau has had his fair share of trouble when traveling across the pond. He tied for 10th in the 2025 Open Championship, but he has more missed cuts (three) than top-10 showings (two) in the event.

The 32-year-old has really lost his sharpness this season as well. He didn't finish above the cut line in any of the first three majors.

All of the fears about how moving to LIV would adversely affect his game have been borne out. He has even thrown around the idea of focusing full time on his YouTube channel rather than trying to mend fences with the PGA Tour.

Maybe DeChambeau has mapped out a plan that would theoretically allow him to be competitive at Royal Birkdale. With the way he's golfing, it might not matter.