NEWTOWN SQUARE — 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-par 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.
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 has missed the cut in three of his last five Masters and is going to need a terrific rebound Friday to have any shot at spending the weekend in suburban Philadelphia.
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.