Bryson DeChambeau’s controversial two-stroke penalty at The Open for improving his lie has sparked havoc 31 days later. And PGA Tour pro Justin Thomas truly believes something good may come out of it. While he thinks DeChambeau is not a cheater, he argues that every player in the sport needs to be accountable for their actions.
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On We Need a Fourth Show, the hosts specifically asked Justin Thomas if he learned anything new from the ruling against DeChambeau at Royal Birkdale. He kept his answer blunt.
“I did not. No, it was, uh, yeah. I genuinely do not think that he did it intentionally… in a way of cheating. When he first got in there, like when I saw that, I was like, ‘That’s too much.'”
R&A’s Rule 8.1 prohibits a player from improving conditions affecting the stroke, lie, stance, or swing area. It ruled DeChambeau guilty of improving his lie on the par-4 fifth. The broadcast showed the American moving frantically around his ball as he played his second shot. Game officials determined, during the frantic moments, that Bryson improved the area of his intended swing by bending the grass.
Regardless of the intent, DeChambeau had to face the consequences. Thomas is on board. He also believes repeated unintentional mistakes can hamper how audiences view the sport. Hence, some strictness, or perhaps stricter lessons, must be in place.
“And I think guys do that without paying attention,” he added. “And I think it’s honestly, I mean, I had a conversation with our rules officials after just like, I hope that this kind of starts a trend of like accountability of like guys, whether you’re trying to do it or not. Like, if you’re doing something borderline, like, you’re going to be penalized.”
DeChambeau is not known for incidents. A year earlier, Shane Lowry also received a penalty at Royal Portrush after causing a practice swing to move his ball and failing to replace it before play. Thomas referred to this incident as evidence that even high-profile players are not the only ones caught in strict enforcement, despite clear intentions.
As for DeChambeau, the penalty changed his round 66 to 68, dropping him one shot off the lead on Sunday. He remained upset about the ruling but chose to tee off on moving day, regardless. For Thomas, controversy therefore left behind a useful learning that many tour pros can pick up.