SOUTHPORT, England, July 16 (Reuters) - Big-hitting American Bryson DeChambeau answered questions about his links-course skills in the best way possible on Thursday as he began his challenge at the British Open with a three-under 67 at a sun-drenched Royal Birkdale.
Armed with a set of 3D-printed irons, the two-time U.S. Open champion appeared to enjoy every minute of his opening round, high-fiving fans as he plotted his way round the undulating course in impressive fashion.
The 32-year-old certainly did not resemble a player three-time Open winner Nick Faldo accused of having "zero clue on strategy" in the build-up to the tournament -- beginning his round with back-to-back birdies and making three more on the back nine.
A bogey at the 18th when he missed a short par putt left a sour taste but with conditions fast and fiery, DeChambeau has put himself in the mix for an assault on the Claret Jug.
"It was a hard-fought battle out there. The wind was switching quite a bit. It was fun seeing the fans going at us, and they were rooting for all of us," DeChambeau, one of the sport's most charismatic characters, told reporters.
"It was fun just seeing the ups and downs of the group, but we all played pretty well. It was a lot of fun."
DeChambeau, known for his ultra-aggressive style and love of booming huge drives down the fairway, has missed the cut at all three previous majors this year. But on Thursday he outshone playing partners, 2025 champion Scottie Scheffler who carded a two-under round of 68 and England's Tyrrell Hatton (69).
"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," he said. "Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. I just need to hit more fairways. Other than that, I feel like my strategy was nice today."
DeChambeau actually offered a clue that he is mastering links golf last year at Royal Portrush when after an opening round seven-over 78 he put together sizzling rounds of 65, 68 and 64 to finish in a tie for 10th.
Playing partner Hatton said no one should be surprised at his impressive start at Royal Birkdale.
"He flights the ball great. His ball flight today was really good. He didn't really hit many bad shots," Hatton said.
DeChambeau said he liked it when the test was "difficult" and enjoyed playing with world number one Scheffler.
"Any time you get off to a great start, it's awesome, but there's three more days," he said. "There's still a lot of golf to be played. But ultimately from my perspective I was really excited about the way I played.
"It was fun playing with Scottie, seeing how good he strikes the ball. I've wanted to play with him for a while now. Seeing how he struck the ball today was beautiful.
"It's a good gauge, right? It tells me kind of where my game's at. Also shows me where he's at."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
