Scheffler backs DeChambeau after Open rules controversy

Scottie Scheffler has publicly defended Bryson DeChambeau, saying he does not regard him as a cheater after the rules incident that shaped discussion around The Open. DeChambeau received a two-shot penalty after officials ruled he had improved his swing path by flattening rough behind his ball on the fifth hole during Friday’s second round.

The R&A’s position was that the action was accidental but still breached the rules. Its chief executive Mark Darbon described the penalty as straightforward from a rules standpoint, leaving DeChambeau’s second-round 66 less valuable than it first appeared in the championship picture.

DeChambeau, who did not speak to the media during the week according to the source report, went on to shoot 69 and 72 over the weekend and finished six shots behind champion Ryan Fox. The incident also drew a sharper reaction from Rory McIlroy, who said DeChambeau had improved the line of his backswing and criticised how the episode affected the tournament.

Scheffler’s intervention matters because he was playing with DeChambeau when the incident happened and framed the issue as carelessness rather than intent. For golf, the debate now sits at the intersection of self-policing, video review and how much intent should matter when a rules breach changes a major championship narrative.