Early in his career, Bryson DeChambeau had a reputation for stirring up controversy. The confident American ruffled feathers with his bold remarks, including one where he described Augusta National as a “Par 67,” adding to the growing list of reasons why many found him difficult to like early on.
Things have changed quite a bit since then. These days, DeChambeau is one of the most popular figures in golf, especially among fans who follow him online. His influence has grown to the point where Keegan Bradley chose him to open for Team USA at the Ryder Cup, highlighting just how far he’s come in terms of public perception.
Even so, opinions about DeChambeau remain split. Back in 2019, something happened that led Justin Thomas to publicly criticise his fellow American.
Justin Thomas had a clear reason for criticising Bryson DeChambeau
Slow play has long been a frustration for fans and players, with plenty of talk about how to speed things up on tour.
Things came to a head in 2019 when the PGA Tour took a closer look at the issue. At the centre of it all was DeChambeau, after Thomas labelled him “a slow golfer.”
“I hate saying this because I don’t want Bryson to think I’m throwing him under the bus or anything like that, but it’s just unfortunate where the pace of play is in the game at the moment,” he said following an event at Northern Trust.
The timing was notable given that Thomas has admitted to playing slowly himself more recently.
Pepperell later followed up: “When it’s as egregious as Bryson was [on Saturday], and if they’re already behind, then shot penalties should be handed out. Fines don’t mean anything to these guys. You’d only need to hand out a few penalties and things would improve quickly!”
Pepperell apologised for his remarks, posting: “That was unnecessary and something I shouldn’t have said.”
Although Poulter didn’t mention DeChambeau by name, he still gave his view on the situation: “There are a few players that continually disrespect their fellow pros and continue to break the rules without a conscience. It should be self-policed, but clearly this won’t happen… so disappointing it hasn’t been stopped.”
In response to all this, DeChambeau dismissed his critics’ comments as “complete and utter you-know-what,” though it did lead the PGA Tour to review its rules and implement changes aimed at addressing slow play.
What PGA Tour Changes Came from the Bryson DeChambeau Slow Play Debate?
The PGA Tour made a number of rule changes in response to slow play concerns, many of which surfaced during DeChambeau’s career.
One of the biggest changes was increasing fines for slow play from $5,000 to $50,000. The Tour also began using ShotLink data to track player pace more closely.
An “Observation List” was introduced to monitor players identified by ShotLink as the slowest on tour. Those players were then limited to an average of 60 seconds per shot.
Players taking longer than 120 seconds without justification could receive an Excessive Shot Time penalty. Rules officials have the authority to issue a one-stroke penalty starting with a second violation in a single event, with further penalties for repeated offenses.
Despite these measures, slow play still crops up. Since 1995, just three players have been penalised for slow play on the PGA Tour, leading some to wonder whether the problem lies with the rules or how they’re being enforced.
READ MORE: Smylie Kaufman questions part of PGA Tour’s deal with DP World Tour
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
