Bryson DeChambeau has taken aim at The Open Championship officials after being put on the clock during Saturday’s third round. DeChambeau is no stranger to speaking his mind and the American has urged golf’s governing body to adopt a new method to keeping the pace of play.
The speed players get around the course has been a contentious issue all week, with some groups in the earlier rounds having taken upwards of six hours. Despite losing half the field for Saturday’s round three, players were still sluggish with their pace of play, meaning officials were forced to step in.
That was the case for DeChambeau, who revealed after his third round that he’d been timed on the 17th hole after his tee shot. But DeChambeau believes he has a solution that could help speed play up across the board: timing each and every individual.
The inventive golf star explained: “It’s very simple. It’s not difficult at all. You eventually time everybody for their whole entire round. Very simple.” Although he did admit some of his competitors might not be too pleased: “Nobody wants to do it because people are too scared to get exposed.”
The LIV ace continued: “If somebody is playing slower, the (official) can go up to him and say, ‘Hey, man, you’re over par with your time’. All you do is you just time them for every single shot. He gets there and puts the bag down, and how long it takes him to hit that shot and how long it takes him to walk to the green. It’s not rocket science.”
DeChambeau himself believes his round took a little longer than expected because of his intricate putting routine. The weather conditions at Royal Portrush have been precarious all week, meaning the green speeds have varied – something DeChambeau didn’t want to risk.
He said: “My putting, I’m more deliberate, take more time on that, but when it comes to iron shots, off the tee, I’m pretty fast. Everybody plays a different style of game, and that’s just the way it is.”
It worked a treat for DeChambeau who finished the day two under overall, having continued his good form from the second round. DeChambeau had shot a disappointing seven-over-par on day one, before rallying with a round of 65 on Friday. He’ll return to the course for Sunday’s final round with a feeling of ‘what might’ve been’ if it wasn’t for Thursday’s wayward start.