What happened to Bryson DeChambeau at the PGA Championship?

Bryson DeChambeau shot 76-71 at the PGA Championship and missed the cut, his second straight at a major.Getty Images

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Bryson DeChambeau shot 76-71 at the PGA Championship and missed the cut, making it the first time in his career he missed the weekend at both the Masters and PGA in the same season. What’s going on with Bryson? And any reason to think the uncertainty of his current league, LIV Golf, played into this latest performance?

Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): It really is puzzling, especially when you consider his form from March, winning consecutive LIV events. I think what I see from Bryson at this point is increased volatility. When he’s on, he’s ON. But when he’s off, he’s WAY off — mostly at majors, where the pressure is greater and the tests are more difficult. I think back to the Open Championship last summer at Portrush, where he played his worst golf in the toughest wind of the week and shot 78. Then, as the conditions eased up, he was 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 don’t really expect that to linger for too long. I think this particular eight-week stretch of a disappointing Masters, some wildly unexpected LIV news, additional off-course drama and very difficult golf courses has him not-so-centered. In one month, he’ll find a firm, fast, brutal U.S. Open test, and that has seemed to really pull something out of his golfing ability over the years.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): There’s not much going right with DeChambeau’s game of late. Inconsistent driving. Poor distance control on approaches. Indifferent play around the greens. It was surprising at the Masters, especially given how well he had been performing in majors and the form he showed on LIV earlier in the year. But less shocking this week, as he was clearly searching in his pre-tournament range sessions. Hard to put up a good score on a major-championship setup when you’re out of sync throughout your bag. LIV uncertainty? The recent tumult can’t have helped his mindset. Of course, it’s also tempting to ask whether all the energy he’s been devoting to YouTube golf is great for his tournament game. Then again, to Sean’s point, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him find his form again in time for Shinnecock.