DeChambeau cheered on by Open crowd after penalty controversy
· Yahoo Sports
Bryson DeChambeau failed to give his legions of fans the birdies they craved but remained firmly the centre of attention at the Open on Saturday.
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The controversial American once again found himself in the spotlight at Royal Birkdale after being hit with a two-shot penalty in a late-night rules row on Friday.
His remonstrations with officials after being told he had inadvertently improved his swing path by trampling on grass, and his subsequent after-dark range session, generated plenty of headlines and TV exposure.
With the third round tee times delayed amid the furore, not everyone was impressed and Rory McIlroy may have been speaking for a number of his fellow professionals when he accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament “hostage”.
What was clear, however, was that the matter had done little to damage DeChambeau’s popularity with his supporters, who follow him not only through mainstream tournaments but his burgeoning YouTube channel.
The two-time US Open winner had said – on social media, naturally – that the issue would fire him up for the remainder of the championship and it appeared to have had the same effect on his fans.
He was cheered, egged on and applauded throughout his third round, his play engaging the spectators far more than that of Sam Burns, despite his playing partner shooting himself into the lead.
There were naturally some pantomime boos and some sarcastic comments, but the likes of, “Mind where you stand lad,” had far more to do with Scouse wit than anything akin to the outright hostility Wyndham Clark experienced at last month’s US Open.
One notable exception was a shout of “Bryson you’re a cheat” on the last, forcing Burns to step away from his putt, but such incidents were rare in what was largely a DeChambeau love-in.
DeChambeau even showed his sense of humour. On the first hole he whipped away some pine cones, quickly pointing out they were “loose impediments” and could be moved. On the last hole he danced around theatrically after finding more long grass, as if to make clear he was treading carefully.
He played up to the galleries when they called for him to use his driver, milking the moment before finally removing it from his bag to huge roars.
Unfortunately for everyone invested, the scoring did not match the excitement but DeChambeau did scramble brilliantly on the back nine to make 69 and keep himself in the fight on six under, four off the lead.
His demeanour suggested he had moved on from Friday night, although he again refused all media interviews, as he has done all week.
Instead he made an unscheduled visit to Championship Office to speak to tournament organisers. According to reports, this was to ask for his scorecard from Friday, a request that was apparently declined.
From there he headed back to the range, and then spent more time signing autographs and posing for selfies with the many assembled fans. For all the controversy, the 32-year-old would still be one of the championship’s most popular winners should he pull it off.
US golfer Bryson DeChambeau putts on the 18th green during day three of The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport. David Davies/PA Wire/dpa