Before teeing off at The Open on Thursday, two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau was on track to create the Grand Slam of missing cuts at the majors this season. However, after the first round at Royal Birkdale, the 32-year-old found himself close to the top of the leaderboard. Jackson Suber led R1 at -5 (65), while DeChambeau shot -3 (67), trailing him by one stroke. While he refused to speak to the media for the fifth consecutive major round, in a conversation with an Open Championship representative, DeChambeau subtly clapped back at Sir Nick Faldo for claiming the 32-year-old has no clue about strategy ahead of the tournament. 

“I think you’ve got to be a lot more ‘strategic’ out on the golf course,” DeChambeau said. “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. 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.”

Although the American didn’t explicitly name Nick Faldo in his statement, it immediately became clear who the message was really for. Their back-and-forth had begun during the Sky Sports Golf podcast on Monday. The thing is, at last year’s Open Championship, DeChambeau finished tied for 10th. However, when he teed off for the tournament at Royal Portrush, he shot a seven-over-par 78. 

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This left him scrambling to make the cut. Notably, he took a more aggressive approach in the opening round, having revealed before the event that his “driver would be key” in dominating the golf course. Faldo, who has won three Open Championships, reacted to this strategy on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, stating, “I’d say it to his face—DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy.” 

Naturally, when DeChambeau finished the opening round one shot shy of the shared second spot and two shots shy of Jackson Suber at No. 1, he saw his opportunity to hit back at the English golfer. DeChambeau is also on his path to prove three-time PGA Tour winner Johnson Wagner wrong if he successfully makes the cut after tomorrow’s round two. 

In the meantime, Nick Faldo didn’t stay quiet after DeChambeau’s subtle clapback.

“I think I rattled his cage. He has basically stuck you know what up and said Faldo, I do have strategy. So I am taking claim that I switched on the strategy play,” Faldo told Sky Sports.

The way DeChambeau handled the firm conditions particularly encouraged the six-time major champion. And he suggested that smart course management was key to his success.

“You have got to have that round here. It’s rock hard,” Faldo added, before looking ahead to the rest of the championship. “But that will be a tough man [to beat]. If Scottie Scheffler is in play all week, he is going to be a tough man to beat.”

Scottie Scheffler ranks T14 with a 2-under-par 68 on Thursday. If DeChambeau can maintain his impressive form for the rest of the week, he could claim his third major title and first since winning the 2024 U.S. Open.