With one win and six top 10s in the majors in the last two years, Bryson DeChambeau certainly appears to have found a way to make sure that he peaks at the perfect time.
Bryson DeChambeau has arguably been LIV Golf‘s biggest success story. While Joaquin Niemann has won more on the tour, DeChambeau is one of just two LIV stars to have lifted a major since joining
However, by his standards, the 2025 season was underwhelming.
DeChambeau won at LIV Golf Korea. But he failed to finish inside the top 10 in six of the 13 events.
He also shot a 75 on Sunday at The Masters when he found himself in the final group alongside Rory McIlroy. He saw his hopes of winning The Open Championship all but end at the first hurdle after a terrible Thursday at Royal Portrush.
DeChambeau is one of the best players on the planet. But 2025 provided a reminder that one part of his game is far from elite at the moment.
Bryson DeChambeau has a big issue to address ahead of the 2026 season
The most alarming example of how costly DeChambeau’s iron play can be came at Augusta National. Just five players performed worse than his -2.4 strokes gained approach during the last round in Georgia.
Rory McIlroy left the door open on several occasions on that dramatic Sunday. DeChambeau even led after the second hole. However, his challenge essentially ended with a double bogey on the 11th.
DeChambeau actually gained shots with his approach play at the final three majors of the year. However, he missed the cut at the US Open.
Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler gained 1.2 strokes more with his shots into the green than DeChambeau at the PGA Championship.
| Major | Bryson DeChambeau’s strokes gained approach |
| The Masters | -0.89 |
| PGA Championship | 0.07 |
| US Open | 0.31 (Missed the cut) |
| The Open Championship | 0.52 |
| Total | 0.01 |
And although he deserves enormous credit for the way he fought back over the final three rounds at The Open Championship, there is no question that losing 2.98 strokes with his approach play on Thursday in Ireland put paid to his hopes of lifting the Claret Jug.
Ultimately, he performed amazingly well just to make the cut.
Where Bryson DeChambeau’s approach play ranked on LIV Golf in 2025
Data Golf shows that 18 other players outperformed DeChambeau’s approach play on LIV in 2025. Given the depth the league lacks beyond its superstar names, that is surely not good enough.
He also went on to lose 1.07 strokes with his iron game at the Ryder Cup.
Trevor Immelman insisted after The Masters that DeChambeau would win a major this year if he could resolve the issues within his game.
He did seem to become less wild as the season went on. However, with the 32-year-old now able to largely work away from the spotlight for a few months, there is surely no question what his priority should be.
It could decide whether DeChambeau becomes a three-time major champion in 2026.