After three major missed cuts: Bryson DeChambeau explains what went wrong

Golf fans in Britain have a direct stake in Bryson DeChambeau's slump because his next chance to reset comes at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale from 16-19 July. The two-time U.S. Open champion has missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open in the same season, then used a 34-minute YouTube video to explain the problems behind it. His message was blunt: the issue is not YouTube or LIV Golf, but decision-making, timing, wedges, putting speed and iron play.

The Backstory

DeChambeau arrived at Shinnecock Hills hoping to play the weekend in a major for the first time in 2026. According to GOLF.com, he had already left the Masters early after a Friday collapse and never recovered from an opening 76 at the PGA Championship at Aronimink.

The U.S. Open offered a possible turning point. Instead, he shot 70-75, finished five over par, and missed the cut by one shot. That matters because DeChambeau was not just another contender leaving early: he is a two-time U.S. Open winner, one of LIV Golf's most recognisable players, and a major draw for fans who follow golf through YouTube as much as traditional broadcasts.

His 2026 form also sits awkwardly beside stronger LIV results. The New York Post reported that he has won a pair of LIV Golf events this season and finished in the top three of three others, making the major misses harder to explain as a simple loss of form.

Missed cut

When a player does not score well enough in the opening rounds to continue into the weekend.

Double bogey

A score of two strokes over par on one hole; two in a row can quickly destroy a major championship round.

Iron play

Approach shots and mid-range control with irons, an area DeChambeau said he must improve.

Here's What Happened

After avoiding the media at Shinnecock, DeChambeau posted a detailed video on his YouTube channel on 27 June. Compleat Golfer said he described it as a face-to-camera attempt to give fans an inside look at what he was thinking during big moments.

He reviewed every shot from his two rounds. One highlight still stood out: on the par-four 12th, he hit a drive with a new TaylorMade prototype driver that travelled 427 yards, reached the road crossing the hole and helped him make birdie. Yet the same review also exposed the pattern that cost him: wedges that felt inconsistent, misread putts, soft greens, wind that did not affect shots as he expected, and a swing that stopped matching the feel he wanted.

The turning point came on Friday morning. After the first round had been suspended by darkness, he returned to finish his final hole, then had to go back out for round two. He said something felt wrong on the range, particularly in how he was using the ground to get the club moving. The small right misses became larger, and the club was not turning over naturally.

The damage came fast. He opened the second round with two pars, then made back-to-back double bogeys on holes three and four. Daily Club Golf reported his own verdict on that stretch: those two holes effectively ended his tournament.

What People Are Saying

DeChambeau did not dress up the result as bad luck. He accepted that his play has not met the level expected from a recent major champion.

Not good enough golf

He then pushed back against the idea that content creation or LIV Golf business matters are the main reason for his major struggles. GB News reported that he was adamant his YouTube career and LIV responsibilities were not damaging his game.

Look, everybody's going to have their opinion on it, but I can tell you I've been working harder on my game this past year after the Masters than I have in the past three, four years.

His explanation was technical but also personal. He said he needed to make better decisions, feel more comfortable over the ball, work on putting speed, improve his wedges, and sharpen his iron play. That mix of candour and detail is why the video drew attention: he did not simply apologise, he tried to show the mechanics of a collapse.

The Bigger Picture

For British golf fans, the timing is the story. The final men's major of the year is The Open at Royal Birkdale, and DeChambeau is not scheduled to play another event before then, according to Golfmagic. That makes Royal Birkdale his last confirmed chance in 2026 to avoid missing the cut at all four majors.

The wider pressure is not only competitive. Multiple reports cited questions around LIV Golf's future, including the Public Investment Fund ending its backing after the season, and DeChambeau's involvement in efforts to secure outside investment. He has said he remains optimistic about team golf, but his own argument is that the playing problem is simpler and harder: he has not yet recreated the feel that helped him shoot 58 at LIV Greenbrier in 2023.

There is a sporting lesson in the numbers. Being No.1 in driving off the tee at the U.S. Open did not save him because majors punish weaker approach play and short-game errors quickly. Power can create chances, but two doubles in a row turned one round from manageable to fatal.

The Road Ahead

DeChambeau's next confirmed major test is The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale from 16-19 July. The question is no longer whether he can generate attention; it is whether he can turn a public breakdown of his mistakes into a cleaner tournament week.

His own closing message was direct: keep going. At Royal Birkdale, that will need to mean more than resilience. It will need to show up in wedges, irons, putting speed and decision-making under major pressure.

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