DeChambeau makes up for lost time after rain-delayed start

• Published date: 12 April 2024
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

How? Why? Who knows, truly? DeChambeau’s efforts in the past around the hallowed, hilly terrain never suggested such a transformation. He shot an opening round 76 in 2021, ultimately finishing tied-46th. In 2022, he opened with a 76 and missed the cut. In 2023, he opened with a 74 and missed the cut

Yet, here he was, one of those who took the LIV greenbacks, strategically working his way around a course in which the winds swirled through the towering cathedral pines.

And DeChambeau’s beautifully-crafted round of eight birdies and one lone bogey, on the ninth, enabled the 30-year-old American to inveigle a way to the top of the early clubhouse leaderboard. From the get-go, the 2020 US Open champion was on song when, following a 5-wood opening tee-shot, he hit a 145 yards approach to two feet for an opening birdie. Sense of surprise

And the sense of surprise wasn’t confined merely to DeChambeau. In the case of Danny Willett, a favoured son who’d won his only Major when donning a green jacket in 2016, the wonders of medical surgery – having undergone a shoulder operation six months ago – enabled him to play his first round since the BMW PGA at Wentworth last September.

Having been told the recovery period would likely be 12-18 months, Willett – who was required to spend six weeks in a 90-degrees cast that he could only remove to take a shower and four months doing extensive daily rehabilitation that included ice baths, saunas and gym work as well as visiting the medical specialists – marked his earlier than anticipated return to competition with a four-under-par 68, three adrift of DeChambeau.

“It’s unexpected, isn’t it?” remarked Willett of managing to produce such a comeback following his layoff. “Again, it was never an issue of whether or not the shoulder was strong enough, it was whether or not I could hit the shots I wanted to. I had no idea what to expect, so yeah, it’s obviously always nice to come in having shot a decent score, and just give yourself that little bit of confidence inside and hopefully have a nice few more days.”

He added: “We did a lot of pre-stuff before the surgery so we were as strong as possible after the surgery, and that kind of means that you don’t fall too far off. I had some great people around me, and we did some great work and put the hours in, and again, I could have shot 80 but it was still nice to have the ability to peg up and not be in pain...