Bryson DeChambeau will head to Shinnecock Hills next week in search of his third U.S. Open Championship victory.
DeChambeau’s two U.S. Open wins came in 2020 and 2024, at Winged Foot and Pinehurst No.2 respectively.
Now Brandel Chamblee has delivered his verdict on DeChambeau’s chances next week at Shinnecock Hills.
Bryson DeChambeau has struggled terribly in the majors this season, but he has been in good form on LIV Golf, with two wins to his name.
DeChambeau missed the cut at both The Masters and The PGA Championship, and he’ll be desperate to return to form at the U.S. Open next week at Shinnecock Hills.
Will he be up to the task, though? Brandel Chamblee has just shared his opinion on DeChambeau’s chances at Shinnecock Hills.
Brandel Chamblee predicts what Bryson DeChambeau could do at the U.S. Open
Chamblee has been speaking about the upcoming U.S. Open on his Favorite Chamblee Podcast.
The former PGA Tour player responded when asked what type of player he thinks will do well around Shinnecock Hills next week.
“Shinnecock is an amazing golf course, but, uh, it’s hard for me to imagine that they’re going to go there and and set a golf course up that encourages players just to swing for the fences,“ Chamblee admitted.
“So that brings in, you think, just go down the driving distance leaders. Just look at who the longest hitters are in the field, and who are pretty good scramblers.
“There’s going to be your winner, one of them.
“And I’m not saying go down the longest straightest hitters. I’m saying just go down and look at the longest hitters that are in the field who can scramble well.
“They had 42-yard wide fairways on average in 2018 and the field on average hit 72% of the fairways. That is a very high number of fairways hit for a U.S. Open.
“The average on tour, that particular year in 2018, was about 65% of the fairways.
“So at a U.S. Open, the fairways are easier to hit than they are anywhere else, and this year they’ve made them even easier to hit.
“So, I would not be surprised at all if the eventual winner of this year’s U.S. Open averages over 350 yards off the tee.
“Believe it or not, Bryson DeChambeau, who hasn’t played worth a dang in the major championships this year, absolutely.
“I mean, it’s a perfect golf course for him. I mean, just, him on full tilt?
“He can swing 135 miles an hour. I mean, full tilt, Bryson DeChambeau, really going at it?
“And I promise you, he knows these fairways going to be 48 yards wide and he’s been grinding on hitting it as far as he can possibly hit it.“
Why Brandel Chamblee is concerned about Shinnecock as a U.S. Open venue
“Shinnecock is such a phenomenal venue,“ Chamblee said.
“I was on a call this morning with the whole USGA staff, along with NBC, and they were just very, very conscious of the fact that they got some things wrong in 2004 and 2018.
“Although I would argue not a lot of things. But, you know, obviously, the controversy was the green, the 7th green in 2004, the 16th green in 2018.
“So I have every confidence that they’re not going to have those problems. They’re going to slow those greens down a little bit.
“The thing that resonated with me, though, is that they kept saying they’re going to let Shinnecock be Shinnecock.
“And I hope that works out fine, but they’ve widened the fairways. The fairways are going to be 48 yards wide.
“My concern there is that I wonder if the designs of a 100 or 120 years ago, which tested people who hit the golf ball 220 yards with unforgiving equipment, will still provide a similar test that the architect intended with golf equipment that is very forgiving, and players hitting it 320 and 350 yards.
“So my fear is, is that it’s just going to be a weightlifting contest and not necessarily a game of chess. I hope I’m wrong.“
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