Bryson DeChambeau gets criticized for "living in the rough" at the US Open by a 2x Major winner

Bryson DeChambeau’s title defense at the 2025 U.S. Open didn’t go as planned, and his struggles on the course have drawn criticism. After missing the cut with a disappointing second-round score of 77, the defending champion was called out by two-time major winner Johnny Miller, who said DeChambeau was constantly ending up in the rough.

Miller made the comment during a Saturday press conference at Oakmont Golf Club, where he appeared alongside 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus. When asked about what it takes to survive the tough U.S. Open conditions this weekend, Nicklaus pointed out poor driving decisions by players, saying:

"Most guys went ahead and drove it and hit it in the rough, right?"

Miller followed up by pointing out how important hitting fairways is and took a jab at DeChambeau, saying:

"So when you can get the ball in the fairway you can work the ball if you need to, and you eliminate so many mistake upon mistakes. If you hit it here in this rough and you try to get too much out of the lie, you get in even more trouble. It's still all about hitting that ball in the fairway. You see the guys that don't — like Bryson DeChambeau, he was living in the rough there this last couple days. Of course he gets to watch it on TV today.”

DeChambeau had a rough start to the week, carding a 3-over 73 in the first round. On Friday, things got worse as he made several bogeys and a double bogey, finishing with a 7-over 77 and missing the cut at 10-over par for the tournament.

This U.S. Open was Bryson DeChambeau’s third major appearance of the season. He had previously finished T5 at the Masters and T2 at the PGA Championship.

How did Bryson DeChambeau perform in the second round of the U.S. Open?

Bryson DeChambeau struggled in his second round at Oakmont and missed the cut after a 7-over 77. He started on the 10th tee with a bogey and picked up a birdie on the par-5 12th. But then he struggled again, making three straight bogeys on holes 14, 15, and 16 before making a birdie on the 17th. He finished the back nine with a 2-over 37.

On the front nine, DeChambeau bogeyed on the first and posted a birdie on the second, but dropped another shot on the third. He made a double bogey on the fifth and bogeys on the sixth and seventh, ending the front nine with a 5-over 40.

Here’s Bryson DeChambeau’s hole-by-hole score from Round 2: