Bryson DeChambeau took advantage of an immense slice of good luck in controversial circumstances at the end of his third round at The Open Championship at St Andrews.
The big-hitting American made headlines recently as he switched from the PGA Tour to the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series. However, he put his critics to bed as he enjoyed a stunning round around the iconic Old Course on Saturday.
DeChambeau put up 32 following two birdies and an eagle, and a pair of birdies on 12 and 13 suggested he could take a shot at the Old Course record during The Open competition. The par-five 14th appeared set for a birdie, but it failed to materialise - and it was more of the same on hole 15.
The 28-year-old struggled with a double bogey on 16 after a horrific four-putt, but the outrage came on 17. The 17th hole is notoriously difficult, and DeChambeau increased the tariff level by smashing the ball roughly 150 yards off target to the left.
His ball disappeared into deep rough, but he was able to claim a line-of-sight relief due to a grandstand. If DeChambeau had gone in the intended direction, no relief would have been granted.
“Viewers at home are going to be outraged seeing that,” Paul McGinley said on commentary for Sky Sports. “Every player would have done the same.
“When the rules are in your favour, they are in your favour.”
The 2020 US Open champion subsequently took a drop out of the rough, where he went at the hole from an impossibly difficult angle and ended up finding the road beyond the green. However, a sensational chip and putt secured one of the most dramatic pars ever seen on the historic Old Course.
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“There were a lot of fireworks coming in,” DeChambeau told Sky Sports. “It (17) is difficult with the wind off the right and it switches.
“I missed it left and toed it a bit and got in a place where we could get the ball back in the fairway and play a shot. I did not play a great shot, but got up off the road and made a nice up and down and will take that any day of the week.”
When asked to explain his free drop on the 17th, DeChambeau added: “You had the grandstands in my line and the scoreboard in my line. So I could go back out where it was in between the TV tower, which is a totally different drop as well.
“I could have dropped again, but it would have put me in the fescue. I was like, you know what, I'm just going to leave it. I'm fine with that. Work it to my advantage and overcut it. Compensation from 16. Just got to go work on being more consistent.”
On the 18th and final hole, DeChambeau imitated his tactic once more. He hit it far left again and it would have been declared out of bounds but for the grandstand, and so DeChambeau took advantage and secured a birdie to complete an impressive round of 67.
