World No.1 Scottie Scheffler Remains Silent on Bryson DeChambeau’s Penalty Saga at The Open Championship

Bryson DeChambeau was handed a 2-shot penalty by the R&A in the second round after the officials determined that he had improved his lie on the 5th hole.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler Remains Silent on Bryson DeChambeau’s Penalty Saga at The Open Championship

Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler (Image via X/@GOLF_com/X/@UnderdogGolf)

Bryson DeChambeau‘s 2-shot penalty on Friday became the hot topic at The Open Championship. On Saturday, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler remained silent on this matter while claiming that he did have something to say about this incident.

In the second round, DeChambeau fired a score of 66 with 5 birdies and 1 bogey. When he finished the round, he was 1 shot behind 36-hole leader Lucas Herbert.

This was also the first time he made the cut this year. In the previous 3 major events, the LIV Golf star had missed the cut and set an unwanted career record.

Later on Friday, the R&A officials brought DeChambeau back to the 5th hole, where he made the bogey. They determined that he had improved the lie of his ball during his practice swings and walks, and they handed him a 2-shot penalty.

This saw his score change from 66 to 68 for the second round. He also fell from solo 2nd to T5, 3 shots behind Hebert.

DeChambeau was paired with Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton for the first two rounds. Following his round on Saturday, Scheffler was asked about his opinion on this matter.

While the 2025 Open Champion claimed he did not have a ton to say, he changed his mind and expressed that he had a lot to say. However, he was not willing to make any public comments in the middle of the tournament.

I don’t really have a ton to say on it. Actually, I do have a ton to say. I haven’t decided exactly what I want to say publicly yet. I do have some thoughts. I don’t really feel like now is the time or place for me to comment. We’re in the middle of a tournament, and I’m focused on what I need to do.

Scottie Scheffler said regarding Bryson DeChambeau’s penalty

Scheffler entered the tournament as the defending champion, having won the event in a dominating fashion last year. That win saw him complete 3 legs of the career grand slam.

His title defense has not gone the way he would have hoped. After scores of 68 in the first two rounds, he carded a round of 70 on Saturday while missing some crucial putts. He also entered this week having missed the cut in an official PGA Tour event for the first time since August 2022.

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Several PGA Tour stars came to the defense of Bryson DeChambeau regarding the penalty

Bryson DeChambeau was penalized 2-strokes by the R&A officials after they determined that he had improved his lie on the 5th hole during the 2nd round. After several fans on social media came in support of him, some PGA Tour stars also defended the 2-time major champion.

Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau (Image via X/@NUCLRGOLF)

Sam Burns, who played alongside DeChambeau on Saturday and finished the day as the 54-hole leader, mentioned that he did not deserve a penalty there and felt bad about it.

I didn’t feel like maybe there was enough evidence for him to deserve a penalty there.

Sam Burns said regarding Bryson DeChambeau

Max Homa claimed that DeChambeau would never cheat in golf and that he did not agree with the ruling.

I only saw one angle, and in my opinion I didn’t agree with the ruling.

Max Homa said

Xander Schauffele expressed that it was unfortunate to see him get penalized for this. While the 2024 Open Champion mainly remained neutral, he claimed that DeChambeau could have gotten the benefit of the doubt.

Whether the ruling was fair or not is still being debated; there were some who were not in his support. One of them who attacked him after the round on Saturday was Rory McIlroy.

The 6-time major champion accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament “hostage” and admitted he was not “fond” of him.

I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention. To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.

Rory McIlroy said regarding Bryson DeChambeau

McIlroy’s words sparked some furious reactions from fans. Many attacked the Northern Irish golfer for his comments and claimed that he should be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.

DeChambeau will tee off alongside Jackson Suber at 1:50 p.m. local time. He will need a strong performance and a little slip-up from the others if he is to claim his 3rd major win this weekend.

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