Scottie Scheffler stepped forward to back Bryson DeChambeau during the recent drama surrounding a rules infraction at The Open, emphatically stating that the two‑time U.S. Open champion is "not a cheater." The controversy erupted at Royal Birkdale, the final men’s major of the season, where DeChambeau appeared to be within a single shot of the halfway lead before a two‑stroke penalty was imposed after the second round. The penalty stemmed from a ruling that DeChambeau had altered the line of his backswing while his club was in the long grass on the par‑four fifth hole. The adjustment turned what should have been a bogey into a triple‑bogey seven, prompting a lengthy discussion between the LIV Golf star and the rules officials that stretched late into Friday evening.
Video footage of the exchange was widely shared, and many observers speculated that DeChambeau might withdraw from the tournament in protest. Those rumors were quickly dispelled. DeChambeau chose not to address the media after any of the rounds, but he posted on social media that the incident had "fired him up" and motivated him to keep competing. Fellow American Rory McIlroy, however, was less forgiving, labeling DeChambeau’s conduct as "performative" after the player engaged in an extended post‑round conversation on the course and later practiced on a range late at night.
The R&A, the governing body of the sport, ultimately concluded that DeChambeau’s actions were unintentional, but the debate over the appropriate level of enforcement persisted. When asked about the situation, Scheffler, who finished tied for fourth, spoke plainly about his long‑standing relationship with DeChambeau. "I've known him for a long time and he's a lot of things, but he's definitely not a cheater," Scheffler told reporters.
"I've never seen him cheat, whether we were having a putting contest on the practice green or a chipping contest, or any time we played amateur golf together – I never saw anything suspicious." He added that while DeChambeau might have been "a touch careless around his ball" from certain camera angles, there was no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing. Scheffler refrained from commenting on the incident after the third round, but he used the final day to raise broader questions about rule enforcement.
"Maybe we need to be a little bit stricter in the way we police players," he suggested. "There’s a balance to strike because guys like Bryson have every shot broadcast on TV. When you watch from far‑away camera angles, things can look different than they do up close.
Sometimes players push the boundaries a bit further than they should." Scheffler argued that the sport should return to its traditional roots and that stricter policing might be necessary to preserve the integrity of the game. His comments reflected a growing sentiment among players that the current system of video‑review and on‑course adjudication may need refinement, especially as technology makes every swing visible to a global audience. On the leaderboard, Scheffler was chasing history, hoping to become the first back‑to‑back Open champion since Padraig Harrington. He briefly found himself within a shot of the lead on the final day, but a bogey on the last hole dropped him three strokes behind the eventual winner, Ryan Fox.
Reflecting on his performance, Scheffler said, "Today was a great effort. I felt like I was doing the right things out there. I gave myself a lot of looks again today.
I guess it just wasn't my week." He dissected a few key moments: a missed fairway on the 17th that hurt his momentum, a less‑than‑ideal tee shot on the 13th that forced him to be aggressive, and a series of small mis‑hits that added up over the week. "My ball on 13 went into that hole.
It wasn’t my best tee shot, but it was a time when I needed to be aggressive. I saw some good stuff happening with guys that hit the ball over there the last few days, and it didn’t happen for me today.
Just those little bounces. My ball on 14 I think is in the fairway, I come up there, it’s in the pot bunker.
Little stuff like that over the course of the week tends to add up," he explained. Despite the disappointment, Scheffler remained positive about his overall play, praising his patience and ball‑striking across the four‑day tournament.
He noted that the only day he felt he didn’t strike the ball as well as he wanted was the final round. Looking ahead, the next PGA Tour event on the calendar is the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, slated to begin on Thursday.
Early coverage will be available on Sky Sports+, with the main broadcast shifting to Sky Sports Golf at 7 p.m. The 3M Open forms part of a triple‑header of live golf on Sky Sports, which also includes the ISPS Handa Senior Open and the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open.
The women’s major season will conclude with the AIG Women’s Open from July 30 to August 2, also streamed live on Sky Sports Golf. Golf fans can subscribe to Sky Sports or opt for a contract‑free streaming option to follow the action. In summary, Scheffler’s defense of DeChambeau underscores a broader conversation about sportsmanship, rule interpretation, and the impact of modern broadcasting on golf.
While DeChambeau’s penalty sparked heated debate, his fellow competitors, particularly Scheffler, emphasized that intent and character matter as much as the letter of the law. The incident may well prompt the governing bodies to revisit how rules are applied in an era where every swing is captured from multiple angles, ensuring that fairness is maintained without stifling the natural flow of the game.