What happened to Bryson DeChambeau at the PGA Championship?

Read GOLF’s Tour Confidential for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they analyze the hottest topics in the sport. This week, with the PGA Championship at Aronimink, we’ll hit one major title each night.

Bryson DeChambeau shot 76-71 at the PGA Championship and missed the cut, making it the first time in his career that he missed a weekend at both the Masters and the PGA in the same season. What happened to Bryson? And what is the reason to think that the uncertainty of his current league, LIV Golf, played this recent performance?

Sean Zak, senior author (@sean_zak): It’s quite confusing, especially when you look at his form since March, winning back-to-back LIV events. I think what I see from Bryson at this point is an increase in volatility. If he is on, he is ON. But when he’s gone, he’s STILL OUT – especially in the majors, where the pressure is greater and the trials are more difficult. I think back to last summer’s Open Championship in Portrush, where he played his worst golf in the wind of the week and shot 78. When the conditions improved, he became the best golfer in the tournament, shooting 65-68-64. I think LIV’s uncertainty has added a lot to his mental plate, but I really don’t expect that to last very long. I think this eight-week stretch of disappointing Masters, some unexpected LIV news, more off-course drama and more difficult golf courses isn’t stressing him out much. In one month, he’ll get a tough, fast, brutal test at the US Open, and that has seemed to take a toll on his golf ability over the years.

Josh Sens, senior author (@joshsens): Not much has been going well with DeChambeau’s recent game. Inconsistent driving. Poor distance control on roads. Playing casually around vegetables. The Masters surprised them, especially considering how well he did in the majors and the form he showed at LIV earlier this year. But it’s not so shocking this week, as he’s clearly been searching for his pre-tournament plans. It’s hard to get good points in a big champion setup if you’re out of sync with your entire bag. LIV uncertainty? The latest upheaval couldn’t help his mind. Of course, it’s also tempting to question whether all the energy he’s been using on YouTube golf is good for his tournament game. Then again, from Sean’s point of view, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him find his form again in Shinnecock’s time.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Golf is unpredictable and I think Sean is right when he says that if things go wrong for Bryson they can clap. You can see it in his behavior. It’s been a tough few days for most of the field, so while it’s easy to say he’s lost after this missed cut, he’s got three rounds left to make the weekend, put together a few decent rounds and make this a no-brainer. I think he is putting pressure on himself to perform well these weeks and represent LIV. And in some ways, he could be a free agent this offseason. Maybe he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to prove it. Although don’t all people put more pressure on themselves during the big weeks?

Nick Piastowski, editor-in-chief (@nickpia): Oh, I think what happened at LIV had a lot to do with DeChambeau’s game. But golf is also strange. Good one week, bad the next. I think he will qualify for the US Open. There may be injury problems in the game as well. At last week’s LIV event, DeChambeau had this to say after his first round: “[The body is] struggling a bit unfortunately. Wrist feels better. I’ve had shoulder stuff since, shooting, the Ryder Cup. I don’t know what happened. It is trained. It has been cured. We worked for you. We did a bunch of things, MRIs. Everything was going well. It has been ringing for me for a long time. When I won those two events [on LIV]I woke up every day, uh-oh, is it going to hurt today? It’s a little overused. I want to see you.”