“Cooked beyond belief” – Bryson DeChambeau‘s own words came back to haunt him. You know that sinking feeling when your worst fears come true? That’s precisely what happened to the defending champion at Oakmont. He didn’t just predict the course’s brutality. He accidentally forecasted his own downfall into golf’s most exclusive and unwanted club.DeChambeau became the first defending US Open champion to miss the cut since Gary Woodland in 2020. His pre-tournament warnings about Oakmont’s difficulty proved eerily prophetic. The man who analyzed every brutal aspect of the course somehow missed the most critical detail. He’d become Exhibit A of everything he feared about this place.DeChambeau’s Instagram post laid bare his devastation just hours after his elimination. “Golf is hard. Oakmont is even harder,” he wrote from the very course that ended his title defense. The simple words carried profound weight. They revealed a champion grappling with unexpected failure while still processing the shock of missing his first cut as defending champion.“Even though this stings now and I didn’t put together the performance I was hoping for, it’s just another bump in the road,” DeChambeau continued. “I appreciate all the support from everyone. Good luck to the rest of the field this week! See you guys in Dallas in a couple of weeks,” he concluded. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondechambeau)The word “stings” captured his disappointment with the missed cut. His mention of Dallas referenced his upcoming LIV Golf event scheduled for June 27-29. DeChambeau thanked his supporters and wished luck to the remaining field.While DeChambeau is already looking ahead, what made him say such an early goodbye? The numbers tell the brutal story of his collapse. DeChambeau shot 73 in the first round despite hitting 13 of 18 greens. Three three-putts destroyed his scorecard completely. His second round proved even worse with a devastating 77. He dropped five shots over just five holes. The defending champion finished at 10-over par, missing the cut by three painful strokes.The financial impact adds another layer of pain. DeChambeau missed out on potentially $4.29 million in prize money. That’s the winner’s share he could have earned. Instead, he walked away with just $10,000. The defending champion, who earned millions the previous year, received a mere consolation prize.His struggles began early with a rules mishap. DeChambeau nearly incurred penalty strokes on the fourth hole. “That was dumb,” he muttered afterward. The incident set a negative tone for his entire week. His devastation becomes even more significant when viewed through the lens of golf history. DeChambeau didn’t just lose a tournament – he achieved something scarce in championship golf.Bryson DeChambeau Joins Rare Club of US Open Champions Missing CutOnly eight defending champions have missed the cut this century. That represents roughly 31% of title defenses since 2000. The rarity makes DeChambeau’s exit particularly shocking. Defending champions typically handle pressure better than most players.The defending champion curse has struck multiple times in recent history. Martin Kaymer missed the cut in 2014. Dustin Johnson suffered the same fate in 2016. Rory McIlroy couldn’t make the weekend in 2011. DeChambeau ironically joins this unwanted list after successfully defending once before.His previous title defense tells an entirely different story. After winning at Winged Foot in 2020, DeChambeau managed a respectable T26 finish at Torrey Pines. The contrast between his two defenses couldn’t be starker. This time offered no silver lining whatsoever. The historical context completely amplifies the disappointment further. Oakmont has humbled many champions throughout history. Yet defending champions usually rise to meet their challenge. DeChambeau’s failure breaks that pattern dramatically.Golf’s unforgiving nature was fully revealed at Oakmont. Even champions face inevitable setbacks. DeChambeau’s resilience will be put to the test moving forward. His next opportunity comes at LIV Golf Dallas in two weeks.What do you think about DeChambeau’s emotional response to this devastating setback?The post ‘This Stings’: Emotional Bryson DeChambeau Gives Bold Statement After Suffering $4.29M Loss at US Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.