Scottie Scheffler has defended Bryson DeChambeau over a rules dispute at The Open, insisting the two-time US Open champion is ‘not a cheater’.
DeChambeau dominated the headlines at Royal Birkdale in the last men’s major of the year, appearing to have a midway lead before being assessed a two-shot penalty after the second round.
The LIV Golf League star was adjudged to have improved his backswing line in the long grass on the par-4 fifth hole, turning a bogey into a triple-bogey 7, and DeChambeau had a heated exchange with rules officials late into Friday evening.
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Sir Nick Faldo and Paul McGinley analyzed Bryson DeChambeau’s controversial two-stroke penalty from Friday and agreed he did not respect the rules of golf.
Speculation that DeChambeau would abstain in protest was quickly dismissed by the American. He refused to speak to the media after each tournament round, but said on social media that the decision ‘triggered him’.
Rory McIlroy criticized DeChambeau’s “performative” behavior, which included lengthy discussions after course rounds and late-night practice sessions, but the R&A acknowledged his behavior was unintentional.
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Rory McIlroy spoke to the media after the third round of the Open and said he was unimpressed with Bryson DeChambeau’s behavior.
“I’ve known him (DeChambeau) for a long time, he knows a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a fraud,” Scheffler told reporters after tying for fourth place. “I’ve never seen him cheat.
“Whether I’m on the putting green for a putting competition, chipping competition or amateur golf, I’ve never seen anything suspicious.
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Bryson DeChambeau received a two-shot penalty after mistakenly improving his lie in thick rough on the fifth hole.
“If you look at him from that camera angle, maybe he was a little careless around the ball, but I don’t think he did anything intentionally.”
Scheffler withheld comment on the incident after round three, but made his views known on the final day, with the world number one questioning whether there was another way to enforce the rule.
“I think we need to be more stringent in the way we police,” Scheffler explained. “There’s a bit of a balance because there are certain players like Bryson, every shot he hits is going to be on TV.
“From a far away camera angle, things can look different than when you’re right there. Sometimes I think you can see players pushing a little more than they need to.
“I think we need to go back to the traditions of the game and maybe monitor things a little more strictly in the game.”
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Sam Burns says there isn’t enough evidence to punish Bryson DeChambeau in the second round.
Scheffler: ‘It wasn’t my week’
Scheffler was aiming to become the first back-to-back winner of The Open since Padraig Harrington and briefly led the final day, but made final bogey and finished three strokes behind Ryan Fox.
“Today was a really tough time,” Scheffler insisted. “I felt like I was doing the right thing out there. I saw a lot of myself today. It just wasn’t my week.
“I had a good break on 17, but my tee shot probably should have been in the fairway. That hurt. The ball on 13 went in there. Not the best tee shot, but it was a time when I needed to be aggressive.”
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Scottie Scheffler was furious after his tee shot found the rough on the par-5 17th hole at Royal Birkdale.
“I’ve seen good things happen to players hitting the ball over there the last few days, but today it didn’t happen to me. Just that little bounce. I think the ball on 14 is in the fairway, and when you get up there, it’s in the pot bunker. Little things like that tend to add up over the course of a week.”
“I’ve been hitting really well this week. I’ve been patient and I’ve been hitting really good balls for four days. That was probably the only day I didn’t hit the ball as well as I wanted to.”
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Highlights of the final round of The Open as Ryan Fox secures his impressive first major victory
What’s next?
The next PGA Tour event is the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, Minnesota, starting Thursday, which will air first on Sky Sports+ before switching to Sky Sports Golf at 7pm.
The 3M Open is part of Sky Sports’ live golf triple-header, which also features the ISPS Handa Senior Open and ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open live. The women’s major season concludes with the AIG Women’s Open, which runs from July 30 to August 2 and is also broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf. Access or stream Sky Sports with no contract.
