I was standing inside the media tent after the opening round of the British Open, and the place was packed.
Jon Rahm was answering questions on one side of the room, Jordan Spieth even poked his head in at one point, but everyone was crowded around waiting for one person.
Bryson DeChambeau.
Earlier in the day, legendary golfer Nick Faldo had questioned whether DeChambeau had a real strategy for attacking the golf course. DeChambeau responded by dominating the course in the opening round.
The reporters were ready, the cameras were ready, but DeChambeau never showed up.
We all waited around expecting him to walk in and answer questions. Instead, he skipped the traditional media session and released a video responding directly to Faldo.
But once I saw his video, I had nothing but respect.
He didn’t avoid the conversation; he controlled it.
He didn’t have to deal with an unexpected follow-up question or risk the discussion moving toward something else. He was able to look into the camera, explain his strategy and directly address the criticism that had been thrown at him.
More importantly, he made sure the clip everyone saw was his clip.
From inside the tent, it initially felt like he had left the media hanging. After watching the finished product, it looked more like he had beaten the media at its own game.
For one afternoon, DeChambeau had complete control of the story.
