DeChambeau, Detry start fast in Round 1 of The Open Championship

Bryson DeChambeau desperately needed a hot start this week at Royal Birkdale. The Crushers GC captain was coming off three consecutive missed cuts through the first three majors of the year and there has been no shortage of criticism that followed him into the season's final major, including a pointed pre-tournament jab from Nick Faldo questioning his grasp of links strategy.

He got it.

DeChambeau carded a 3-under 67 in the opening round of the 154th Open, tied for the low mark of the day among the LIV Golf contingent and two back of the 5-under lead held by Jackson Suber. Playing alongside Scottie Scheffler and Legion XIII star Tyrrell Hatton in one of the more closely watched groups of the morning, DeChambeau was measured and precise with his approach play, methodically working his way around a punishing golf course.

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"I think you've got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course," he 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."

The round wasn't without its blemishes. A bogey on 18 left a bit of a sour taste, and DeChambeau was candid that his driving needs sharpening, but the overall picture was one of a player enjoying himself and finding his footing on a stage where he's often been doubted. He spoke admiringly of watching Scheffler up close for the first time, calling his ball-striking "beautiful," and made clear the round meant something to him beyond the number while acknowledging there's a long way to go.

"Any time you get off to a great start, it's awesome, but there's three more days, dude," he said. "There's still a lot of golf to be played. But ultimately from my perspective I was really excited about the way I played."

DeChambeau wasn't alone atop the LIV Golf contingent. Thomas Detry matched his 3-under 67 to sit tied for fourth overall. The 4Aces GC star's length and iron play suited perfectly to a firm, fast Birkdale that rewarded aggression in the right spots.

"The course is tough. The good tee shots have to show up," Detry said, singling out the eighth, 13th and 18th as holes where finding the fairway was most crucial. A stray tee shot on the sixth cost the Belgian a bogey, but he answered immediately with two birdies to build real momentum through the back nine and was bogey free for the remainder of the round.

One shot back of DeChambeau and Detry was Cleeks Golf Club’s Victor Perez, whose 2-under 68 continued the form that carried him into this Open field in the first place. A week removed from his Open Qualifying Series-clinching performance at the Genesis Scottish Open, Perez looked every bit as comfortable at Birkdale, giving LIV Golf three players inside the top 13 through 18 holes.

Jon Rahm settled into a solid position on Thursday, signing for a 1-under 69 that leaves him tied for 24th and squarely in the mix as he continues chasing what would be a third career major and a first Open Championship. The Legion XIII captain found some trouble later in the round, making bogeys on holes 14 and 15, but bounced back with a birdie on 17 to right the ship.

Rahm was joined in that tie by two more of his LIV Golf peers, including a Legion XIII teammate. The aforementioned Hatton, despite finishing at the same score, walked off the course more frustrated than satisfied. His only dropped shot came at the last, but he felt he left putts out there that he'd expect to make given how well he rolled it a week ago at the Scottish.

"I would say I'm pretty disappointed with my round," Hatton said. "Obviously, my only dropped shot was on 18. I feel like I got away with some pretty loose tee shots at times. Yeah, I'm disappointed by that. I didn't feel like -- when I did have a makeable birdie putt, I obviously don't feel like I really holed them, and that was disappointing because I feel like I putted really well last week. So, yeah, there's a lot of things that could be better for me, but we'll try again tomorrow."

Majesticks Golf Club’s Laurie Canter rounded out the group at 1-under, calling it a day where he "got a lot out of the front nine" despite not striking it especially well early — a holed bunker shot on the second got him rolling, and a tidy up-and-down at the brutally difficult 18th sealed a round he was pleased with entering Friday's second round.

The rest of the LIV Golf field spread out from there, but there were plenty of solid performances to go around.

Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert posted an even-par 70 in the tougher afternoon wave, while Legion XIII’s Tom McKibbin and Fireballs GC’s Josele Ballester both carded 1-over 71s in the morning. Legion XIII’s Caleb Surratt, in his Open debut, opened with a 2-over 72, and RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein shot 3-over 73 in the latest grouping of the day for LIV Golf players.

Cameron Smith battled to a 3-over 73, and missed several fairways by a few feet, contributing to his less-than-ideal score.

"I honestly feel like I hit it pretty good today," he said, pointing to a run of crosswind tee shots that bled into the rough by a matter of feet rather than any larger breakdown. "Just needed to get a meter in the fairway rather than out of it, and I think it's a different story."

David Puig shot 4-over 74, Scott Vincent 5-over 75, and Joaquin Niemann limped to a disappointing 6-over 76 to sit near the bottom of the leaderboard heading into Friday.