Golf fans and pundits are always quick to bash the likes of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Collin Morikawa when they fail to close out tournaments in the final round.
The choker label gets thrown around too frequently in today's age of professional golf, but Bryson DeChambeau has somehow avoided the same criticism despite his recent final-round collapses.
It all started earlier this month at LIV Golf Miami, where DeChambeau entered the final round with a two-shot lead on Sergio Garcia. However, the 31-year-old shot a 3-over 75 in the third round with two double bogeys and only three birdies to lose to Marc Leishman by four. Only one player in the top 25 on the leaderboard had a worse round on Saturday.
A week later, DeChambeau found himself in sole possession of the lead on Masters Sunday with 16 holes to play.
With the green jacket in reach, he shot 4-over in those final 16 holes with just two birdies to again lose by four. McIlroy gave DeChambeau every opportunity to take control of the tournament on Sunday, but he refused at every turn. Similarly to Miami, DeChambeau's final-round 75 was tied for the worst score of any player who finished inside the top 40.
The final-round blunders didn't stop there. At LIV Golf Mexico City this past weekend, DeChambeau held a one-shot lead over Cameron Smith through two rounds. He shot an even-par 71 in the final round on an easy setup to lose to Joaquín Niemann by three. With the trophy still up for grabs, DeChambeau went 3-over in his last six holes to gift Niemann the title.
What's the saying? Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern? That seems quite relevant for DeChambeau's recent string of results.
Bryson DeChambeau deserves more criticism for his final-round blunders
Despite DeChambeau's back-to-back-to-back final-round collapses, the golf world hardly seems to care. Maybe McIlroy's historic triumph at Augusta National Golf Club has distracted fans from dissecting DeChambeau's recent play. Maybe there aren't enough eyes on LIV Golf events, and fans aren't even aware of these performances.
Whatever the reason, DeChambeau should be held to the same standard as the McIlroys and Schefflers of the golf world. This is a top-five player in the world who's failed to close out three straight tournaments with the solo lead in the final round. Where's the outrage?
With the PGA Championship coming up in a few weeks, DeChambeau needs to find a way to regain his killer mentality.