Three-time Open champion Sir Nick Faldo has sharply criticized American golfer Bryson DeChambeau’s approach to strategy ahead of the British Open at Royal Birkdale. Faldo questioned DeChambeau’s tactical understanding of links golf as the 32-year-old seeks to avoid missing the cut for the fourth consecutive major in 2026.

DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open in both 2020 and 2024, experienced a strong run of form last year with three top-10 finishes in major championships. However, his performance this year has faltered, as he failed to reach the weekend rounds in any of the majors played to date. The upcoming Open at Royal Birkdale represents a crucial opportunity for him to regain momentum.

Speaking on the Sky Sports podcast, Faldo expressed little optimism about DeChambeau’s prospects, describing the current sequence of results as a “rough slam.” He was particularly critical of DeChambeau’s stated intent to employ an aggressive, attacking style on links courses, a tactic Faldo contended is largely ineffective.

“I’d say it to his face: he has zero clue of strategy,” Faldo said. He recalled comments made by DeChambeau last year about adopting an attacking approach on links courses. Faldo countered by noting that links golf traditionally requires precision and careful shot placement rather than raw power. “You thread it. You feed it down the fairway, it’s really important,” he explained. “You look at humps and bumps and think, if I send it over and feed it, it nudges back into play. You don’t think ‘oh, I’ll just bomb it down there, can’t see where I’m going, it’s 20 yards wide.’”

Faldo, the last Englishman to win the Open Championship in 1992, emphasized the nuanced nature of links course strategy that, in his view, DeChambeau has yet to grasp. As DeChambeau prepares to compete at Royal Birkdale, the challenge will be to adapt his game to these specific demands if he hopes to reverse his recent major championship misfortunes.