Bryson DeChambeau loses over £200,000 in controversial incident | Golf | Sport

DeChambeau was deemed to have improved his lie by tournament officials, who issued a punishment. He had even been in second place at one stage of the competition and protested the decision, claiming that he was only trying to read his line by positioning himself directly behind the ball. His insistence did not help his fate, despite threatening to withdraw completely, as officials decided against removing the two-shot penalty.

The visit to Merseyside also marked the first occasion he had successfully made the cut at a major in 2026.

The American made a beeline for the driving range after R&A officials adjusted his position on the leaderboard. DeChambeau brushed past waiting journalists and played a part in forcing third-round tee times to be delayed as the row continued to dominate proceedings.

A number of fellow competitors waded into the controversy, with Scottie Scheffler amongst those to speak out, firmly asserting that his compatriot is “not a cheater.”

Rory McIlroy also offered his perspective on the matter, describing the incident as “performative.”

DeChambeau subsequently revealed that the penalty only served to ignite his competitive fire and drive him forward. However, he ultimately fell short of claiming the Claret Jug, finishing in a tie for 14th place and taking home £175,000.

Had the two-stroke penalty not been applied, DeChambeau would have walked away with £384,000 and a share of sixth place alongside Casey Jarvis, Lucas Herbert and Si Woo Kim. DeChambeau has shunned the media since the incident took place.

Nevertheless, a number of current and former Tour professionals, including Scheffler, have argued that the matter represents a far more nuanced issue than a straightforward penalty. The Texan said: “I think maybe we need to be a little bit more strict in the way that we are policing guys.

“But it’s a little bit of a balance because you’ve got certain guys like a Bryson who, every shot he hits is going to be shown on TV. When you have camera angles that are far away, things can look different than they do when you’re right there.

“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’ve never seen him cheat once, whether we were having a putting contest on the putting green or chipping contest, or anytime we played amateur golf, I never saw anything suspicious.”

DeChambeau is now poised to take part in LIV Golf UK this week. His Crushers GC side is chasing a third triumph of the season, while DeChambeau himself is hunting a third individual victory of 2026.