Bryson DeChambeau has broken his silence on the contentious two-shot penalty that he believes denied him a chance to win The Open. The penalty was imposed after officials reviewed footage and determined that DeChambeau had improved his backswing area by flattening long grass on the fifth hole at Royal Birkdale, turning his bogey into a triple-bogey seven and dropping him from second to fifth place. Although DeChambeau initially threatened to withdraw in protest, he continued playing and made the cut, ending a streak of three consecutive missed cuts in majors. However, he was left to ponder what could have been after finishing six shots behind the winner, Ryan Fox.
DeChambeau reflected on his performance, stating, 'I made the cut, it was a good fight.' World No 1 Scheffler defended DeChambeau, stating that he is 'not a cheater,' while Rory McIlroy described the incident as 'performative' and expressed his disapproval of DeChambeau's actions.