Bryson DeChambeau has found himself at the center of a rules controversy at The Open.
He was docked two strokes after the R&A deemed him to have inadvertently improved his lie from the rough on the fifth hole. DeChambeau trampled the fescue as he prepared to take his shot, and the rules official said he had altered the conditions.
It’s a disaster for DeChambeau, who was one shot off the lead at Royal Birkdale after 36 holes. He’s now three shots back going into the weekend, and has even threatened to withdraw from the tournament entirely in response to this ruling.
This didn’t go down well with Brandel Chamblee, who didn’t hold back when discussing this on the Golf Channel.
Brandel Chamblee slams Bryson DeChambeau’s behavior at The Open
DeChambeau and the rules officials were seen engaging in a heated debate over this ruling on the fifth hole after the day’s play had concluded. He reportedly insists that he did nothing wrong and threatened to withdraw from the tournament because of this incident.
This ruling was particularly controversial because of what Wyndham Clark was spotted doing at the US Open. During his final round, he appeared to flatten the grass in front of his ball before taking a shot out of the rough.
Clark was not penalized and went on to win the US Open, which Brandel Chamblee used as evidence that rules officials will always try to favor the players.
Speaking on the Golf Channel, he said, If there is any grey area they will give the player the benefit of the doubt.
“If there is any way out, they will give the player the benefit of the doubt. How many times have we seen something that looked like a clear infraction, but then, upon further review, you think maybe, or maybe not.
“We saw something if you remember at the US Open with Wyndham Clark on the ninth hole. There is no way that the USGA did not know about it, did not see it, did not talk about it.
Was Bryson DeChambeau's penalty unfair?
He was penalised two shots following an incident on the fifth hole…
But it was nowhere near as definitive as the evidence against Bryson on the fifth hole. It was a non-issue.
“It had some run on social media, but it did not get addressed by the USGA. You see it all the time, but this was such a clear violation. It is really hard to stomach the silliness that we have seen here from Bryson.
“You accept this like a man. You look at the evidence and you are like ‘you are right, I did break the rule’. This is a clear infraction, what is the penalty?”
Golfers usually take rulings on the chin and do not try to protest them, so it’s pretty jarring to see DeChambeau act like this. It’s not in the usual spirit we see the game played.
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