Bryson DeChambeau has broken his silence on the contentious two-shot penalty that he believes denied him a chance to win The Open. DeChambeau was handed the penalty in his second round after officials reviewed footage and deemed that he had improved his backswing by flattening long grass on Royal Birkdale's fifth hole. This penalty turned his bogey into a triple-bogey seven, dropping him from second to fifth in the standings at the halfway point.
DeChambeau had threatened to withdraw from the tournament in protest but continued to play, making the cut and ending his streak of three consecutive missed cuts in majors. Despite recovering with rounds of 69 and 72, he couldn't help but wonder what could have been after finishing six shots behind the winner, Ryan Fox.
"I made the cut. It was a good fight. I wish I'd have given it more on Saturday and Sunday, it felt like I could have," DeChambeau said. He pointed out that if he had performed better on just two holes, he could have been in contention for the Claret Jug.
World No 1 Scheffler defended DeChambeau, stating that he is not a cheater, while Rory McIlroy described the incident as attention-seeking. McIlroy expressed that he was not fond of DeChambeau and felt that his actions were performative and held the tournament hostage.