Bryson DeChambeau is reportedly threatening to quit The Open Championship after copping a two-shot penalty for improving his lie early in bizarre post-round scenes after his stirring second round run at Royal Birkdale.
The American, who initially carded a 4-under 66 to sit one shot behind Australian leader Lucas Herbert, was summoned by tournament officials after his round and slipped from second to a tie for fifth after being sanctioned.
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After drawing a massive roar with a birdie at the last hole which saw him move to 7-under, and into a pairing with Herbert on Satureday, the dual US Open champion was spotted looking bemused outside the tournament director’s office at 8.40pm.
After waiting for an official who had headed inside the tournament office to return, the LIV Golf superstar grabbed an iron from his bag before jumping into a cart with his caddy and zooming off, passing a crowd of fans chanting his name.
The on-course broadcaster then captured DeChambeau in an animated discussion with tournament officials close to 9pm in the rough beside the fifth fairway, where the American had earlier been in a world of trouble after a wayward tee shot.
The officials deemed that DeChambeau had stamped down on the tall grass behind his ball to improve his lie when he had stood behind it to get a line of sight, with the footage portraying the American stamping near where the ball was.
R&A rules official Grant Moir said: “Bryson has been penalised two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of intended backswing on fifth hole.”
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard has since reported on Live from The Open that DeChambeau is undecided as to whether he will keep playing in the tournament.
He said he would make a final decision on Saturday morning local time before the third round begins and refused to answer questions as he made his way to the driving range to take out his frustration.
“Are you guys having a great night?” DeChambeau asked awaiting journalists.
“I’m having a great night.”
He then refused to answer if he’s playing tomorrow.
“I’m off to hit some balls,” he said before heading off to the range.
As the absurd theatre was unfolding after a dramatic day that also saw fellow LIV golfer Jon Rahm warned for throwing a club, prominent golf commentator Brandel Chamblee slammed DeChambeau’s actions as “childish” and “immature”.
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“The rules officials did exactly what they were meant to do. The evidence is very clear and that’s why the rules officials stood their ground, and did the right thing,” Chamblee added.
“Bryson needs to except the consequences of his action, even if it was accidental.”
Moir explained the ruling by saying: “Ruling one restricts what a player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke, and this includes the area of the player’s intended swing.
“So, an improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke. So that the player gains a potential advantage for the stroke. With stress, this applies even when the action was accidental in Bryson’s case.
“The area of intended swing includes the entire area that might reasonably affect any part of the backswing, the downswing or the completion of the swing for the intended stroke.
“What the prohibited action here is that any player must not move bend or break any growing or attached or natural object.
“A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance if, in some situations, that improves the conditions affecting the stroke. But when doing so the player must take the least intrusive course of action to deal with the particular situation, and is not entitled to a normal stance or swing.
“I would reiterate, this rule applies even when there is no intention, as was the case with Bryson.”
As DeChambeau returned to the driving range to take out his frustrations, with his session extending beyond 10pm, he offered journalists almonds while asking them what they thought of his swing without offering further clarity about his situation.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said DeChambeau, whose bogey five on the fifth because a triple-bogey as a result of the ruling, was clearly in the wrong.
“The first five seconds when he got to the ball, that is when the breach happened,” he said on Live At The Open.
“He walked up and saw his lie and the first thing he did was to stand behind the ball and in standing behind the ball, he bedded down the grass behind it, which in turn was going to improve his backswing. For me, it is a clear breach.
“Bryson is obviously not agreeing with that very vocally and in a stern way. He was stamping down grass behind the ball on your line of play. Your line of play is not just towards the target. It is also your backswing and he is standing right where his club should be going back.”
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Chamblee maintained there were “multiple infractions” and he just “danced all over the path behind the golf ball” while “stamping aggressively”.
“He did everything but lay down behind it and take a weed whacker to the tall grass behind him,” he said.
“There are multiple infractions that are absolutely condemning, absolutely clear. I don’t really know what he was arguing about. It is not whether he did it accidentally. It is not about whether he did it deliberately. It is about whether or not his actions improved the conditions affecting the stroke and they quite clearly did.”
DP World Tour rules referee Graeme Storm explained the ruling to the BBC.
“He’s improved the line of play for his club to be able to hit the golf ball. That’s what they’re investigating,” he said.
“Whether that’s intentional doesn’t really matter. If you improve your line of play you’re improving your lie so basically you get the general penalty of two shots.
“From what video evidence I’ve seen it looked like he’s improved his line of play by stepping back on the long grass behind his line of play because he’s looked down at it. He should get the general penalty which is two shots.”
Former Australian professional Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley told Sky Sports what he believed DeChambeau may have argued.
“The thing for me and I am not going to defend anyone here. I can’t see how Bryson is going to get penalised without a camera directly behind him. There’s his defence,” Riley said.