Bryson DeChambeau has ignited controversy after claiming “luck” was behind Team Europe’s commanding opening-day lead at the Ryder Cup, a remark that has drawn widespread criticism from golf fans and pundits online.
The LIV Golf star endured a miserable Friday at Bethpage Black, losing both of his matches as Europe raced into a 5.5-2.5 lead on hostile American soil.
The 30-year-old first paired up with Justin Thomas for the morning foursomes but was outclassed by the European partnership of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
In the afternoon session, with President Donald Trump watching on from the grandstand, DeChambeau and Ben Griffin fell to England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose in the fourballs.
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Rather than taking the defeats on the chin, DeChambeau’s post-match comments struck a nerve.
“Experience was great. 0-2 today, pretty disappointed. I played good golf, just not good enough and they made everything. Luck is on their side right now,” he said.
The suggestion that Europe’s strong showing was down to fortune rather than superior play was quickly picked up by fans online.
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Bryson DeChambeau admitted he was 'disappointed' after day one of the Ryder Cup
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Social media was awash with criticism of DeChambeau’s remarks, with some accusing him of disrespecting Luke Donald’s side.
“Luck? No, they were just better,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another added: “Pathetic excuse. Europe outplayed them fair and square.”
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Ron Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton impressed at the Ryder Cup on Friday
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Several pundits also weighed in, with golf analysts highlighting the consistency and putting prowess of the Europeans as the decisive factor.
“This wasn’t luck — this was clinical golf,” one broadcaster said during post-round coverage.
DeChambeau did at least take his frustrations to the practice range rather than the locker room, heading straight to the driving area for an extended session after play ended.
Team USA will hope the extra work pays off as they look to claw back the deficit over the weekend and prevent Europe from winning on American soil for the first time since 2012.
DeChambeau was not the only big name to struggle on day one. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler also endured a winless start, losing in the morning session alongside Collin Morikawa to
Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, before partnering JJ Spaun in a fourball defeat to Rahm and Sepp Straka.
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Scheffler admitted his putting had let him down, saying: “We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities.
“It really just came down to me not holing enough putts. We put up a good fight at the end.”
Captain Keegan Bradley remains upbeat despite the early setback, insisting that the Americans have time to turn things around.
“We’ve only played 28 percent of the points. This is the first quarter. We’ve still got three quarters to go. I’ve got a lot of faith in my boys,” Bradley said.
Bradley has resisted the urge to make sweeping changes ahead of Saturday’s foursomes, keeping Morikawa and Harris English together despite their 5&4 defeat to McIlroy and Fleetwood.
The pair will be given a chance to exact revenge in the rematch.