2024 Runner-Up Bryson DeChambeau Remains in Mix Despite Inconsistent Even-Par Opening Round

Thursday was a lethargic opening round at Quail Hollow for last year’s PGA Championship runner-up Bryson DeChambeau. Grouped with Viktor Hovland in the first round, who DeChambeau was paired with when he made a big charge with Sunday at Valhalla last year, the high-kilowatt-energy star just couldn’t put all the pieces of his game together for the big start he was hoping for. The two-time U.S. Open champ finished with an even-par 71 as part of the afternoon wave, seven back of Jhonattan Vegas’s lead. DeChambeau was his usual jolly self through most of the day as he walked from the practice area to the first tee, high-fiving fans in what’s becoming a bit of a tradition of late. That was the only thing the gallery to cheer for through his first six holes, as he couldn’t get a putt to drop.

On the par-5 seventh, standing at 1-over par, his 20-footer just missed on the high side of the hole. The superstar stared down with a look of disbelief.
After going out in 1-over 36, he made his first birdie of the day on the par-5 10th. With the 31-year-old hitting only half of his fairways and a meager ten greens in regulation, his opportunities to score were a bit more limited than what he’s accustomed to. Scoring chances remained tepid until he got to the middle of the Green Mile on the 227-yard par-3 17th tee box.

DeChambeau hit his tee shot a sky high 127 feet in the air and it rolled out beautifully, narrowly missing the second ace of the day and nestling three inches behind the cup. He gave a big high-five to his caddie Greg Bodine and a playful fist pump toward the adoring gallery. DeChambeau finished with a bogey on the last after finding the right rough off the tee box to end his up and down even-par day.
Despite a lagging performance, he stands in a surprisingly gettable position entering his second round Friday at T46. According to Elias Sports Bureau, over the last eight PGA Championships, the eventual winner has been ranked outside the top 30 after the first round as they have inside the top 10. He’ll start trying to climb back as part of Friday’s morning wave at 8:17 a.m.