Scottie Scheffler has defended fellow golfer Bryson DeChambeau, stating that DeChambeau is "not a cheater" in the wake of a two-shot penalty DeChambeau received during the British Open. Scheffler's comments came after his round on Sunday, expanding on an earlier cryptic remark he made.
"All I can really say is I think maybe we need to be a little bit more strict in the way that we are policing guys, but it’s a little bit of a balance because you’ve got certain guys like a Bryson, who every shot he hits is going to be shown on TV,’’ Scheffler said. He added that camera angles, especially when viewed from a distance, can make actions appear different than they do in person.
Scheffler, who has known DeChambeau for a long time, expressed his unwavering belief in his integrity. "He’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater. I’ve never seen him cheat once, whether we were having a putting contest on the putting green or chipping contest, or anytime we played amateur golf, I never saw anything suspicious,’’ Scheffler stated.
Regarding the specific incident that led to DeChambeau's penalty, Scheffler commented that the camera angles did not provide conclusive evidence. "Maybe he was a touch careless around his ball, but I don’t think he did anything intentionally,’’ he said. Scheffler also acknowledged that some players might occasionally push boundaries but reiterated his stance on DeChambeau.
"I feel like at times, sometimes you see players maybe push it a little bit further than they should,’’ Scheffler said. “I think we need to kind of get back to the traditions of the game and maybe we do need to police things a little bit more stricter in the game. Bryson is a guy that I’ve known for a really long time. Like I said, he’s not a cheater.”