Bryson DeChambeau can feel the mood lifting in the locker room and on the course just a week after the PGA Tour and LIV Golf ceased hostilities.
DeChambeau shot a 67 in his first round at the US Open on Thursday, leaving the 2020 champion five shots behind record holders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, who each shot 62.
This Open at the Los Angeles Country Club is the first major since the surprising announcement of the partnership between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The Saudi-backed competition has drawn dozens of top players, DeChambeau among the most prominent, to his controversial effort with generous payouts over the past two years, but last week’s earthquake has put golf in constant flux once again. .
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Bryson DeChambeau watches his tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the US Open golf tournament at the Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
No one knows exactly what the sport will look like in the near future, and LIV apparently plans to continue its own competitions in some form. But DeChambeau feels that the us-versus-them mentality that emerged on both sides of the LIV defections is no longer as prevalent.
«I think it’s a little bit more light-hearted on everyone’s part,» DeChambeau said after his round. «It’s been good to see all the players more neutral, so it’s a little more comfortable than before. There’s not as much tension, I guess you could say, which is a good thing for the game of golf. We want the fans to see us everybody play together all the time.»
The 29-year-old DeChambeau played aggressively and effectively under cloudy skies on the venerable course that borders Beverly Hills and Century City, scoring four birdies on his last nine holes. He ended his round to cheers from the Southern California gallery, a big change from the PGA Championship just a month ago near Rochester, New York, where DeChambeau and fellow LIV pro Brooks Koepka were booed at the first tee at Oak Hill.
RORY MCILROY SHOT FROM ROUGH AT US OPEN, AVOIDS MEDIA AFTER MISTAKE ON 18TH HOLE
Bryson DeChambeau swings onto the green on the second hole during the first round of the US Open golf tournament at the Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
LIV players have already put in several impressive performances at Majors this year, though opinions vary on whether their pseudo-outlaw status plays a motivational role. Koepka and Phil Mickelson were runners-up at the Jon Rahm Masters, and Koepka won the PGA Championship four weeks ago atop a leaderboard with DeChambeau in fourth and LIV’s Cameron Smith in ninth.
Dustin Johnson, who finished tied for sixth at last year’s British Open, said Wednesday that he has been told LIV will stage events as planned in 2024. No matter what the long-term future holds, the US Open champion USA 2016 is enjoying every opportunity to play. in big events against the best.
«Not for me,» Johnson responded Thursday when asked if he felt any relief from the tensions on tour. «I felt like I’d always had a good relationship with the guys through it all. (But) obviously now, for sure, I could see (DeChambeau’s) point of view, absolutely.»
US OPEN FAN IS SENT OFF AFTER INTERRUPTING PHIL MICKELSON
Bryson DeChambeau putts on the third hole during the first round of the US Open golf tournament at the Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The partnership between the tours is still largely undefined, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the PGA Tour status quo will not return immediately.
When asked if everything was business as usual at LIV, DeChambeau said yes. He intends to continue building his four-man team, known as the Crushers.
«We’re looking to hire someone here shortly for the GM job (for the Crushers), and we’re very excited about that,» DeChambeau said.
DeChambeau grew up in Clovis, a Fresno suburb about 220 miles north of Los Angeles. He had many fans in the galleries of California who would love to see more of the polarizing player who has two top-10 finishes in his last three majors.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Bryson DeChambeau watches his shot on the second hole during the first round of the US Open golf tournament at the Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
«I feel like I prepare a little differently for the major championships, and I feel like my length has a big advantage in these events,» DeChambeau said. «Even at the Open last year, I feel like being able to have a 230-yard 6-iron goes a long way on any golf course. You put everybody on a really tough golf course or a test golf course, I feel like someone «That he can hit far has an advantage, if he’s able to keep it in play somehow. You could say (I’m) overlooked. I’m not going to say that, but I’m just trying to win a big championship.»
DeChambeau acknowledged that he has been spending more time on the range in recent days, hitting «more golf balls than I would like.» It is the final process of his search to return to his 2018 form, when she won four tournaments and placed in the top five in the world rankings.
«I feel like I’m very close to it,» he said. «Because I had him on the PGA for the first two days, and then he kind of fell off. But he was still able to play some really good, solid golf, score well… If I have what I had on the PGA, I’ll be competing for sure.»