Bryson DeChambeau’s best performance and only made cut at one of golf’s four majors this year was marred by the two-stroke penalty he received after his second round Friday, the controversy over his reaction, and the fallout that ensued for the remainder of the tournament.
DeChambeau, LIV Golf’s biggest star, finished tied for 14th at the Open Championship with a score of -4, six strokes behind winner Ryan Fox. The two-stroke penalty ultimately cost him $279,887 in prize money. He received $234,325 for finishing T14 with three other players, but would have received $514,212 had he not been penalized and finished in a four-way tie for sixth place.
The penalty also knocked DeChambeau out of the final pairing for Saturday’s third round—he would have been just one stroke behind 36-hole leader Lucas Herbet (-8) but was instead three back. DeChambeau shot 69 during the third round before losing momentum on Sunday and shooting 72.
DeChambeau did not speak to the assembled media at Royal Birkdale or do any TV interviews over the weekend to address the rules violation. On Friday night, he tweeted: “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.” That night, he also posted several pictures on Instagram, seemingly poking fun at and making light of the situation.
