For the second day running, it was what happened after Bryson DeChambeau’s round at Royal Birkdale had concluded that dominated the headlines coming out of The Open Championship.
DeChambeau was handed a two-shot penalty after completing his round on Friday. The R&A deemed that he had unintentionally improved the area around his ball when playing out of the thick rough on the fifth hole.
Was Bryson DeChambeau's penalty unfair?
He was penalised two shots following an incident on the fifth hole…
Replays showed that DeChambeau did step on the grass around his ball. However, there was nothing conclusive in any of the pictures viewers saw at home.
So it was no surprise at all that the LIV Golf star was clearly furious about the decision as he returned to the scene with rules officials after his round.
Bryson DeChambeau should be livid with his penalty at The Open Championship
The penalty, on its own, felt extremely harsh.
But the sense of injustice reaches another level when you consider one incident involving Wyndham Clark at last month’s US Open.
It is safe to say that Clark was not a popular figure among the crowds at Shinnecock Hills. And in the wake of his win, a clip emerged on social media showing the American stepping around his ball as he prepared to hit a chip shot.
The camera angle makes it absolutely impossible to tell for certain, but clearly, some felt that Clark improved his lie with where he stepped for his practice swing.
While I am no fan of Clark, I was one of those who defended the decision to not hand him a penalty in the days after the US Open. There is no way of knowing for certain that he did anything wrong.
Similarly, DeChambeau is a golfer that I do not need much encouragement to criticise. However, I have huge sympathy for him on this occasion.
Bryson DeChambeau must have questions about the Wyndham Clark incident at the US Open
Firstly, DeChambeau has to step somewhere. The grass around his ball was brutal, so it is no surprise that he needed to take a big step.
And with the television pictures not exactly providing conclusive evidence, DeChambeau’s word surely needs to be taken.
The USGA were absolutely right to not penalise Clark for that incident at Shinnecock Hills.
The R&A should have taken a similar view on the incident involving DeChambeau.
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