Bryson DeChambeau has said he is “moving past” the controversial two-shot penalty that hampered his bid for The Open at Royal Birkdale.
DeChambeau was docked two shots after his second round in Southport having been deemed by officials to have improved the area of his backswing by standing on and flattening grass as he played a shot out of the rough on the fifth hole.
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The 32-year-old has since been accused of attempting to involve Donald Trump in the rules dispute, and eventually faded from contention to finish in a tie for 14th at the year’s final men’s major.
DeChambeau had missed the cut in the first three majors of the year and was left to rue what might have been having originally been just one shot off the halfway lead of Lucas Herbert before the penalty.
Bryson DeChambeau was docked two shots at The Open (PA Wire)
But while still believing he was in the right, and should not have been penalised, an honest DeChambeau admitted that he was able to move on from the incident.
“Look, golf is golf, right?” the American said after the opening round of LIV Golf UK with he and Herbert second and first at the JCB Golf and Country Club.
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“I wish [Lucas and I] could have gone to battle last week. It wasn’t that way. But life goes on. There’s moments of adversity in everybody’s life, and I was passionate about what I believed and thought was right.
“For me, it’s now in a place that it is what it is, and you keep moving through it. You keep moving past it.”
Herbert shot an 11-under round of 61 to lead DeChambeau by three as the Australian continued his strong form after finishing tied sixth at The Open.
Ryan Fox claimed his first major crown as the New Zealander lifted the Claret Jug after birdieing the last at Birkdale.
DeChambeau closed six shots behind the winner – and pinpointed two triple bogeys, one of which came as a result of the penalty, as key to his failure to fully challenge.
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“I made the cut,” DeChambeau quipped when asked about his Open. “No, it was a good fight.
Bryson DeChambeau was left to rue two triple bogeys (PA Wire)
“I wish I would have given it more on Saturday and Sunday. Felt like I could have. Besides the 5th hole and being three-over on that hole and then the 11th hole [in the fourth round], that’s six shots. That’s tied for the lead right there. That’s two holes and I’m right there with the Claret Jug.”
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