Bryson DeChambeau Faces Tough Start in U.S. Open Title Defense at Oakmont

Bryson DeChambeau, known for consistently appearing on major championship leaderboards, faced a challenging beginning to his U.S. Open title defense at Oakmont Country Club. The difficulties of the thick rough and slick greens significantly impacted his game, leading him to a three-over-par score of 73, putting him seven strokes behind the leader, J.J. Spaun, and indicating a need for substantial improvement moving forward.

DeChambeau expressed frustration over his performance, acknowledging that the golf course's demanding nature can catch players off guard, which happened to him this time. As he noted, being off his game resulted in frequent encounters with Oakmont's deep rough, a situation he usually tries to avoid. The recent trend of U.S. Open champions starting strong is not in his favor, as the last four titleholders had all ranked within the top seven after the first round.

Despite being one of the longest hitters in golf, DeChambeau found himself struggling with his tee shots, which often led him deep into the rough. This course proved to be a brutal test, but DeChambeau remains hopeful for the upcoming rounds. He believes that by making a few adjustments to his putting and generating some positive momentum, he could have a better showing.

The silver lining for DeChambeau, who aims to be the first player to win consecutive U.S. Opens since Brooks Koepka in 2018, is that he was not the only golfer encountering difficulties at Oakmont. With only ten competitors finishing the first round under par, he knows he is not alone in facing challenges on this tough course. DeChambeau maintains that his game isn't too far off and is focused on recalibrating his putting to improve his score. He pointed out that a three-over-par could have easily turned into a two-under on another day.