Bryson DeChambeau misses the point as he directly addresses Open Championship controversy at LIV UK
· Yahoo Sports
Bryson DeChambeau bounced back well from the controversy he caused at The Open Championship last week with a round of 64 on day one at LIV Golf UK.
DeChambeau was right in the mix to win The Open after he made a birdie on his final hole of the day on Friday to put him one shot adrift of the leader, Lucas Herbert.
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However, within minutes of leaving the 18th green at Royal Birkdale, he was informed that he had broken rule 8.1a on the fifth hole.
Bryson DeChambeau was penalized two strokes by Open officials after he was deemed to have improved the playing area around his ball in the rough during his second round.
And what followed was utter chaos. DeChambeau headed back out onto the golf course with Open officials to fight his case.
After his appeals fell on deaf ears, he threatened to pull out of the championship and to contact President Donald Trump.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesHowever, none of those threats had any kind of substance. They were proven to be as baseless as they were petulant.
DeChambeau turned up to Royal Birkdale on Saturday for round three but fell away over the course of the next two rounds.
Things could have been so different for him on Saturday and Sunday had he taken the penalty with more grace.
Bryson DeChambeau addresses Open Championship controversy
My issue here is nobody is suggesting that DeChambeau cheated on purpose.
Numerous players have come out and since the Open finished and endorsed the 32-year-old’s integrity.
Scottie Scheffler insisted that Bryson DeChambeau is no cheater and that is the common consensus amongst the world of professional golf.
However, there doesn’t need to be intent. DeChambeau was clumsy and he paid the price.
He should have been far more careful when stepping in and around his ball in the long rough.
Had he taken the punishment with any kind of decency, he may even have gained fans. However, he did the complete opposite.
And the two-time US Open winner clearly still hasn’t learned.
The American spoke to reporters after his first round at LIV Golf UK on Thursday and responded when asked to give his opinion on what happened at Royal Birkdale, now that the dust has settled.
“Yeah, I made the cut,“ DeChambeau joked.
“No, it was a good fight. I wish I would have given it more on Saturday and Sunday. Felt like I could have.
“Besides the 5th hole and being three-over on that hole and then the 11th hole, that’s six shots. That’s tied for the lead right there. That’s two holes and I’m right there with the Claret Jug.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images“You know, life goes on. There are moments of adversity, like everyone has in life.
“I was passionate about what I believed and thought I was right. And, you know, for me, it’s now in a place that, it is what it is.
“You keep moving through it. You keep moving past it.
“You know, so for me, I’m excited to play with Lucas tomorrow. That’ll be great.
“You know, there are three more days, and we’re here to win this tournament this week.“
The fact that DeChambeau has put the incident behind him quickly is great.
However, DeChambeau proved that he simply doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand the severity of his actions.
Bryson DeChambeau missed the point with his comments about Open fiasco
Can you imagine how the public perception of him would have changed had he come out and apologized for his actions after receiving the two-stroke penalty?
He could have stood his ground and insisted that he didn’t agree with the penalty, while admitting that he got things very wrong in the aftermath of the incident.
The two things are not mutually exclusive.
It was fine for him to disagree with the R&A’s decision but for him to make empty threats about pulling out of the championship and phoning President Donald Trump was simply unacceptable.
He attempted to hold The Open Championship hostage, with the rest of the field not being informed of their tee times until late into the night.
DeChambeau genuinely threatened the very fabric of the game of golf, and everything that it stands for.
What if DeChambeau had been successful in getting the ruling overturned by speaking with Donald Trump?
What if the R&A didn’t hold their ground when DeChambeau threatened to withdraw from the championship and chose not to penalize him as a result?
Bryson DeChambeau threatened the integrity of the game of golf that we all love so dearly with his actions in the immediate aftermath of being told about his rules violation at The Open.
For that, the LIV Golf star really should have swallowed whatever beliefs he has about the two-shot penalty he received and made an apology for his actions in the aftermath of the incident.
Of course, DeChambeau didn’t do that and as a result, he certainly hasn’t endeared himself to many people.