Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Dechambeau plays his second shot on 17th hole during the opening round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 23, 2020.

By Kent Gray
Appropriately enough on a day when even the hardiest of seagulls might have reconsidered all non-essential flights, Bryson DeChambeau described the encouraging start to his OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic defence as “smooth sailing”.

There were references to “rough density” and a confounding explanation of how he was able to “munch” it out of the thick fescue – “we played like about 10 percent on that shot” during an opening two-under 70 that got better in direct correlation with the increasingly blustery winds.

Perhaps most ominously, the 26-year-old believes he’s ever closer to pairing a “work-in-progress” driver with his “impeccable wedge” work from Thursday into a “scary combo” for the remainder of the week.

While other big names were falling overboard – newly minted Abu Dhabi champion Lee Westwood opened with a six-over 78 while Tommy Fleetwood signed for a 75 – the American certainly has a decent foundation to work from. Just three shots off Thomas Pieters’ lead, DeChambeau appears to be in a better space after missing the cut in Abu Dhabi a week ago.

“It was great, actually,” the Ryder Cupper offered after being asked for an assessment of his opening gambit on the windswept Majlis. “Iron play was great out of the rough and the fairway, and my wedge game around the greens was impeccable. Stuff I’m doing there is awesome.

“I’m putting still really well. I feel like I’m rolling it on my line except one putt on 6 [where he recorded the second of two bogeys]. Other than that, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Still working on the driver. That’s a work-in-progress, but it will be a work-in-progress until I get the right stuff in my hands.”

DeChambeau sauntered into the history books 12 months ago, a record final round 64 capping a new tournament record score (264) and winning margin (seven strokes). He wasn’t alone in finding Emirates Golf Club an altogether tougher proposition with the wind compounding the tightened Majlis fairways and firm greens.

“It’s playing at least four shots harder a day if it was to stay like this, no doubt,” DeChambeau said. “It’s almost impossible to hit the fairway on 18. I hit hybrid and it’s got 45 spin on that and it was a little downwind and landed middle of the fairway and rolled all the way into the rough. It’s a very, very good test of golf and you have to make sure your wedge game is on and your iron play is on.”

The trick now is reining in his driver, not that it was totally insubordinate after DeChambeau found the green off the tee on the par-4 2nd and boomed another one down the 6th, his 15th, before a flier out of the rough led to an annoying bogey.

“Yeah, the shot [on the 2nd was good]…even 5, it was off line but it was still so far up I had a wedge in my hand. On 6 I hit 350 into the first cut. Caught a jumper on that one. I hit it really far. Now it’s just about controlling it and if I can control it, it’s going to be a scary combo.”

After last year and the first round of his defence, the field can’t say they haven’t been warned.