Golf legend says Bryson DeChambeau ‘lost his way’ after Open penalty drama
Golf great Sir Nick Faldo has criticized Bryson DeChambeau, saying he “lost his way” during the penalty incident at The Open.
DeChambeau was given a two-shot penalty on day 2 of The Open, held at Royal Birkdale.
The officials ruled that the American accidentally improved his lie when he stepped on long grass to get closer to his ball on the fifth hole.
After a long debate with the officials, DeChambeau even threatened to quit, but later shared this on social media: “Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it.”
Videos showed DeChambeau arguing strongly about the penalty and returning to the spot where the mistake happened.
At one point, he said, “I just won’t play tomorrow.”
Grant Moir, the R&A’s executive director of governance, explained Rule 8.1 in a statement.
“Bryson was penalized two strokes for accidentally improving the area he intended to swing from on the fifth hole during his second shot,” he said.
“Rule 8.1 limits what players can do to improve conditions for their shot, including the area where they plan to swing. Even accidental actions count if they give a potential advantage, as in Bryson’s case.”
Because of the penalty, DeChambeau’s bogey turned into a triple bogey seven, dropping him three spots behind the leader.
Three-time Open winner Faldo reacted and wasn’t happy with how DeChambeau acted, saying in a Sky Sports interview that he seemed to want to be “the centre of attention.”
“I always thought that coming into a major, you’d want to keep your mind and body calm and steady,” Faldo said.
“To deal with all this emotion, whether it helps him or not, remains to be seen. I believe it’s just another challenge he needs to face.”
Sky Sports’ Paul McGinley agreed, adding: “He’s made himself the story now. If he plays badly, people will blame the R&A’s decision. If he plays well, it’ll be because he’s motivated by it.
“We’ve seen these situations before, but usually players accept the ruling without making a big deal. That’s where Bryson went wrong—he didn’t show respect to the referees.”