Scottie Scheffler Defends Bryson DeChambeau, Claims LIV Golf Star Is Not A “Cheater” Following Penalty at The Open

Scottie Scheffler played alongside Bryson DeChambeau during the first 2 rounds of The Open Championship.

Scottie Scheffler Defends Bryson DeChambeau, Claims LIV Golf Star Is Not A “Cheater” Following Penalty at The Open

Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler (Image via Imago/X/@TheOpen)

One of the major talking points this week at The Open Championship was the 2-shot penalty for Bryson DeChambeau in the 2nd round. After remaining silent about the incident on Saturday, Scottie Scheffler spoke about it and defended the LIV Golf star, claiming he was not a “cheater.“

For DeChambeau, this was an important week. He entered the Royal Birkdale course in England on the back of 3 straight missed cuts at the majors. This was the first time he had missed 3 successive cuts in the majors.

Following an opening round score of 67, he shot 66 on Friday and was solo second, 1 shot behind 36-hole leader Lucas Herbert. The R&A officials later brought him back at the 5th hole, where he had made his only bogey of the day.

The officials determined that DeChambeau had improved his lie with his backswings and charged him with a 2-shot penalty. This saw his score change from 66 to 68. He fell from 2nd to T5, 3 shots behind Herbert.

This decision became a huge point of debate on social media. While several fans and golfers defended the 2-time major champion, there were some, like Rory McIlroy, who were not in his favor.

When asked about his opinion, Scheffler remained silent. The World No.1 claimed that he did have a ton to say but did not want to make a public comment during the middle of the tournament.

In the final round, Scheffler finished with a score of 67, 7-under par for the tournament. After an unsuccessful title defense, Scheffler opened up about the penalty saga and supported the LIV golfer, mentioning that he was not a “cheater.”

All I’ll say is Bryson, I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater. … 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. But like I said, it’s a tough line to kind of cross. So that’s why it’s hard for me to say anything like this. Bryson is a guy that I’ve known for a really long time. Like I said, he’s not a cheater.

Scottie Scheffler told the reporters

As for DeChambeau, the final round saw him card a score of 72. Following a bogey on the 9th, he made a triple bogey on the 11th. With 2 successive birdies on the 13th and 14th, he went on to finish T14, 3 shots behind Scheffler and 7 behind eventual winner Ryan Fox, who finished 10-under par to claim his first major win.

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Scottie Scheffler faced heat from fans following a free relief in the final round

The golf fans on social media were already angry with the ruling against Bryson DeChambeau on Friday. So when Scottie Scheffler got a free relief in the final round, many attacked him and the R&A.

Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler (Image via Imago)

After a birdie on the 16th hole, the 4-time major champion needed to make a birdie on the par-5 17th hole to keep his chances alive. Scheffler did not have the best of tee shots and was left furious with his attempt.

He had a difficult recovery shot and needed to do something bold. His shot ended up disappearing near the hospitality structures. Despite a long search, the golfer and the officials were unable to find the ball.

He was thus given a temporary immovable obstruction (TIO) relief decision. Usually, if a player is unable to find the ball within 3 minutes, they are given a 1-shot penalty. However, with TIO relief, things are a bit different, as a TIO is any non-permanent tournament structure.

As per the relief, the 1-shot penalty is also relieved. So instead of taking his 4th shot, Scheffler hit his 3rd shot before making a birdie putt. In the end, he missed the par putt on the final hole, but this TIO relief did not sit well with many users.

Given the Bryson DeChambeau event, there were some who were not pleased with this decision. PGA Tour star Michael Kim expressed that he was dumbfounded by this TIO relief.

Sometimes, fortune favors the brave. Scheffler did take a bold approach to his 2nd shot to get a chance for the birdie. With his loss, this marks the first time since 2023 that the Dallas native finished a season without any major wins.

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