The late-night resolution of a two-stroke penalty assessed to Bryson DeChambeau for improving the lie of his ball, swing path, and stance on the fifth hole of the British Open's second round cast a shadow over play at Royal Birkdale on Saturday. The incident caused a delay in the release of Saturday's tee times, leaving players speculating about the cause.
"I don’t have social media, so I was wondering why our tee times weren’t coming out at about 10:50 p.m. last night," said Xander Schauffele. "I’m assuming that (the DeChambeau kerfuffle) had something to do with it." It did.
Schauffele, along with other competitors, offered varied perspectives on the penalty. "It’s a tough one," Schauffele commented. "I haven’t spoken to him or heard what he said, but he’s just stepping in how you’d normally step in to hit a golf shot. I think the R&A (governing body) said something along the lines of whether it’s intentional or not, it’s still a penalty."
He added that playing from thick rough requires careful maneuvering. "It’s not something we’re used to doing that often. You imagine you give him the benefit of the doubt. He said he didn’t do it intentionally, and it’s unfortunate that he got penalized because he was playing incredibly well and obviously he’s still playing incredibly well. So, he’s obviously going to have something to prove these next two days."
Russell Henley, who saw video of DeChambeau appearing to adjust the high grass, stated, "Clearly [the R&A] are [saying] he improved [the path of] his backswing. I don’t know what it looked like before he came back over there or if the bush came back up after he stepped on it. But yeah, that’s a tough one for him."
DeChambeau was initially poised to sign for a 4-under-par 66, which would have placed him at 7-under for the tournament and in second place. The penalty reduced his standing to 5-under par, tying him for fifth as he began his third round.
"Every shot is so important. It’s tough in the moment to take it. It’s unfortunate, but I think everybody should be held accountable for the same rules," Henley said. He also noted the visibility factor: "The issue with that to me is the fact that he’s on TV every shot. If I played that hole yesterday, you might not have seen (if) I did the same thing, [and] maybe they don’t penalize me because maybe they don’t see me do it."
Max Homa, after his round, expressed disagreement with the ruling. "I’ve known Bryson for a very long time, and he’s an interesting human at times, but I know he would never cheat the game of golf. I don’t really love how it happened. It’s not that the R&A said that he did it intentionally, but that rule as a professional golfer feels like it’s written inherently to protect against people trying to improve their lie."
Homa defended DeChambeau, stating, "I just hope that people don’t create a narrative [of him cheating] because I don’t believe that of him. I just don’t think that’s in his character, so it’s a shame I think that’s kind of how it’s being portrayed to some." He added that DeChambeau was "right to be frustrated" given the circumstances. "He was one back and now he’s three. I agree with him for being frustrated, especially I’m assuming that was not his intent. I understood the demonstrative nature and actions because it probably just feels a bit like an indictment. But the rules are complicated. It’s crazy. We’re hoping they made the right one. I’m sure he’ll use it in the right way and put a chip on his shoulder."