Bryson DeChambeau has been put firmly in the firing line ahead of The Open Championship, with six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo launching a scathing assessment of the American’s game, course management and LIV Golf career.

The outspoken DeChambeau has long divided opinion with his power-first approach and larger-than-life personality, but after a disappointing 2026 campaign that has seen him miss the cut at all three majors so far, Faldo believes the two-time U.S. Open champion has a glaring weakness that continues to be exposed on golf’s biggest stage.

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Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Faldo joked that DeChambeau is on the verge of completing the “wrong” kind of career slam.

“That’s got to be a rough slam, isn’t it?” Faldo said.

“We’ve got to name it.”

With The Open Championship beginning on Thursday, July 16, DeChambeau arrives under more scrutiny than ever.

While the American claimed the 2024 U.S. Open title and produced three top-10 finishes in the majors during 2025, this season has been a stark contrast, with early exits at every major leaving serious questions over his form.

For Faldo, however, DeChambeau’s struggles at links golf run far deeper than a temporary dip in confidence.

The Englishman believes the 32-year-old simply doesn’t understand how to play the game’s most demanding style of golf.

“I’d say it to his face – he has zero clue of strategy,” Faldo said.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 09: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States reacts on the 18th green during the first round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“I mean, he said it last year, I think on TV, he said, ‘I’m going to go out and attack the links.‘

“Well, I’ve never ‘attacked’ a links.

“You thread it, don’t you? You feed it down the fairway, it’s really important.

“You look at humps and bumps and think, if I send it over and feed it, it nudges back into play.

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“You don’t think, ‘Oh, I’ll just bomb it down there, can’t see where I’m going, it’s 20 yards wide.‘ Oh, yeah, good luck.”

DeChambeau has made just one top-10 finish in seven Open appearances, while also missing the cut on three occasions. His best result came in 2022 when he finished tied for eighth, while his most encouraging Open performance arrived last year after recovering from an opening-round 78 with rounds of 65, 68 and 64 to finish tied for 10th.

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Faldo’s credentials to make such a judgement are difficult to question.

The English legend won six major championships, including three Open titles, and remarkably made the cut in each of his first 23 appearances at golf’s oldest major.

But Faldo didn’t stop at questioning DeChambeau’s links strategy.

The former world No. 1 also reignited his long-running criticism of LIV Golf, suggesting the Saudi-backed circuit is failing to prepare its biggest stars for the unique pressures of major championship golf.

With DeChambeau widely regarded as LIV Golf’s biggest attraction, Faldo saw the American’s recent struggles as evidence of a much larger issue.

“That’s a whole part of the story how they’re superstars at LIV, then come over and can’t do it, so that’s another story,” Faldo said.

The comments echoed criticism Faldo made in 2025 when he labelled LIV players “soft” because they compete in no-cut events where poor performances carry far fewer consequences.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 10: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States reacts on the 18th green during the second round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. Andrew Redington/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Andrew Redington / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

“Sport is bloody tough. The fear of failure is just as powerful as the quest to win,” Faldo said.

“And I think when you’re on a fail-free tour, you can’t fail. It makes you go soft.

“I think some of those players have gone soft.”

Despite the mounting criticism, DeChambeau now has the perfect opportunity to silence one of the game’s greatest champions.