Winners and Losers from the DeChambeau Debacle at Birkdale
Friday night brought one of the more chaotic nights in major championship golf with the Bryson DeChambeau post-round penalty assessment at The Open. We do not need to re-hash the tick-tock, or debate the penalty itself. We reported on it through the night, and there seem to be plenty of people with definitive knowledge that it was an absolute penalty or an absolute hosing by the R&A.
But it was, definitively, a blast to take in all the way around – swimming in Bryson’s pleas, his reactions, the R&A’s statements, the punditry, the memes, and the spectre of one of the most famous players on the planet near the top of the leaderboard suddenly quitting in protest. So in blog form, here are some winners and losers from the revelry at Birkdale.
Winners
Bryson DeChambeau – He is, in fact, two strokes worse. But this controversy made him the center of the sports world. It did, in fact, at a minimum not look great on the video review. But he also, maybe relative to some peers, has shame in less reserve. He took the controversy and ran with it, putting on a show some deemed silly and others cinema with a range session into the pitch black. Overall, it made him the focus of a spectacle and the Open, generating a certain wave of empathy and support, and provided a personal rallying cry and motivation for his last two days.
Beef sticks – A big night of pub for this snack, which Bryson offered to nearby media members and got lots of run as the world watched.
The Open – A mainstream sports moment for the final men’s major, often considered a darling of the golf nuts but lagging behind with wider interest, especially in America.
Content – Friday’s finish was already electric with some of the top stars closing well, but this penalty drama obviously took it into overdrive.
The 5th hole at Royal Birkdale – The scene of the crime became center stage for the reenactment ritual with officials. The hole has come under some scrutiny as a new drivable par-4 but with a lot of trouble short thanks to the bunkers and humps and bumps. The hazard that led to Bryson’s penalty should not really be in play, but it became the focus of the show. A win for the 5th hole rumbling into the championship!
The R&A – Good on the governing body for taking a stand on a practice that’s become all too prevalent in professional golf. This was a tricky moment given the stature of the player and his position in the championship, and they went for it. Will it have ripple effects and force others to be more assertive and vigilant? Probably not, at least on the PGA Tour.
Brandel – An absolute meatball over the middle for the former tour pro turned Golf Channel hall of fame takesmith. “He did everything but lay down behind it or take a weed whacker to the tall grass behind it.”
The Rules of Golf – Can they be overcomplicated, byzantine, and often arbitrary? Sure. Have they also been tattered and trampled in pro competitions in recent years? Yes. A winning moment for the rules being interpreted and enforced.
Jordan Spieth – The drama made sure absolutely no one was talking about his disastrous return to the site of his last major. Only four players in the 156-man field were worse than Spieth, and he had to watch Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood ignite the crowds while he whimpered off with the MC.
Losers
Also Bryson DeChambeau – He is two shots worse.
Wyndham Clark – He was just trying to move on and enjoy his U.S. Open win but it thrust a moment at the 9th hole on Sunday at Shinnecock from the darker corners of internet golf nerdom to the main stage spotlight. Not a good night for Wyndham, the Whataboutism target in the Bryson defenses.
The USGA – The governing body responsible for the administration of the rules in that Wyndham kerfuffle didn’t need that being brought to the main stage in contrast with the R&A decision at Birkdale. Leave us out of it!
Players who needed sleep – The Bryson drama caused an issue with third round tee times getting to the players who made the cut and several expressed their frustration on social media, like Justin Thomas and Marco Penge. Apparently, the issue was caused by a back-up in scoring as DeChambeau debated the penalty there while groups who were finishing late in the second round could not get into the recording trailer. That had a domino effect on getting scores in and tee times for the next day settled. Fortunately, Saturday is not quick the crack-of-dawn start that the first two rounds are, but the player complaints on social were still lodged.
Who or what did I miss?
