Bryson DeChambeau was handed a two-shot penalty during the second round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, a ruling that knocked him from near the top of the leaderboard and set off a wave of controversy involving the R&A, the rules of golf, and the White House.
DeChambeau, 32, had appeared to lift himself to one shot off the lead on Friday, finishing at seven under par after shooting a four-under 66. But officials ruled he had trampled on long grass close to his ball on the fifth hole, triggering the penalty that dropped him three shots behind Australian overnight leader Lucas Herbert.
R&A chief executive Mark Darbon defended the ruling in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. "It was an unfortunate decision but really clear-cut from a rules perspective," Darbon said. There had been speculation about whether DeChambeau might withdraw from the tournament after the ruling was applied, but later on Friday the two-time US Open champion said the decision would fire him up heading into the weekend.
Darbon declined to fully address what happened between DeChambeau and tournament officials on Friday night. "It's fair to say there was some emotion around that and we will keep some of the aspects of that discussion private," he said. He added that he understood DeChambeau's frustration. "Bryson has played a great round of golf, is in contention at a major championship, he wants to win the golf's original major. We were focused on the ruling and making a fair assessment," Darbon said.
The situation drew attention beyond the fairways after reporters asked Darbon whether President Donald Trump had contacted him about the penalty. Trump has a close relationship with DeChambeau and earlier this month controversially asked football governing body Fifa to review a one-match suspension handed to United States striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. Asked in what was described as a light-hearted exchange with BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter whether Trump had called him, Darbon said: "No. I have not received a call from President Trump and we will see what happens from here."
DeChambeau was scheduled to tee off at 15:30 BST on Saturday, three shots behind Herbert heading into the weekend rounds.
