Sir Nick Faldo has backed the decision to hand Bryson DeChambeau a two-shot penalty after the second round of The Open Championship.
DeChambeau has certainly made his fair share of headlines this week. It did appear that most of the talk heading into the weekend at Royal Birkdale would concern the fact that he was one shot off the lead at a major he has never mastered.
Was Bryson DeChambeau's penalty unfair?
He was penalised two shots following an incident on the fifth hole…
However, he would not leave the course for several more hours after his second round. It quickly became apparent that the R&A were investigating an incident on the fifth hole.
Sir Nick Faldo backs the decision to penalise Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau hit his approach shot from the thick rough after a wayward drive. Replays showed that he took some heavy steps around his ball, clearly trying to navigate his way through the long grass.
However, it was determined that DeChambeau had unintentionally improved his lie by standing on the grass behind the ball.
The 32-year-old was far from happy with the decision, with DeChambeau even threatening to not play in the third round of the tournament.
But speaking on Sky Sports on Saturday, Sir Nick Faldo insisted that the officials got the decision exactly right.
“This is him behind the ball, lining it up. You see that big clump. Look at the angle of that grass now. He just touched it, and he’s very close to it there [when he’s stood behind the ball]. Watch his left foot when he steps back in to address the ball. Wallop. So now that has been crushed considerably,” he said.
“And I think the R&A did a great job, because you cannot bend or move anything in your intended swing path. It’s got nothing to do with Bryson, this is a golfer, he has put his foot down, he has moved the grass, and that simply is our rule book. And I think the R&A handled it beautifully. For me, bottom line, job done. Sorry mate, you got a two-shot [penalty].”
Faldo suggests how professional golf would react if Bryson DeChambeau walked away
Like the decision or not, it is another reminder of the drama that DeChambeau always brings to tournaments.
Some players would have accepted the penalty they received without argument. It is a controversial ruling, but most would have taken the decision on the chin.
And Faldo suggested that he is intrigued to see how the incident impacts DeChambeau’s performance during the third round, with the Claret Jug still up for grabs.
“That’s Bryson, he wants to be the centre of attention on everything. I always thought you want to come into a major and really keep your mind and body on a lovely, even zen. And for him to be having to deal with all this emotion, whether it fires him up or not, we will see, but I’ve got to believe it’s another hurdle to climb,” he said.
It was poor from DeChambeau to threaten to withdraw from the tournament over the decision. He will surely realise that he let himself down with his petulant reaction.
Of course, there is speculation over what the future holds for the two-time US Open champion, who has even flirted with the idea of playing YouTube golf full-time.
But he has received a warning from Faldo, with the Englishman not convinced that DeChambeau walking away from the professional game will inspire the reaction that he hopes for.
“I’m going to be careful how I phrase it, if he didn’t bowl up on Saturday morning, it would be tough you know what. No player is bigger than the game,” he said.
“Jack and Arnold have all left the arena of being competitive, and golf has gone on. Golf will always go on. Tiger’s gone very quiet. You’ve got to be grateful that you’re able to enjoy being out there and being a competitor in our great game, because once you’re done, golf is just going on. So if he disappeared tomorrow, we would say, ‘oh well, that was tough, but we will carry on’.”
There is plenty of time for DeChambeau to still win The Open Championship. And if he does, he can point to the penalty as a key moment that gave him another gear.
However, whatever happens from here, DeChambeau should be seriously disappointed in himself over how he dealt with the incident on Friday evening.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
