Brandel Chamblee: "Jon Rahm broke the rule, he should have been penalised"
"It wasn't millimetres. It was inches, probably three inches that his ball was misplaced."
Well, well, well... who saw this one coming? Brandel Chamblee disagreeing with a rules decision.
European Tour chief rules official Andy McPhee may have cleared Jon Rahm for any wrongdoing when replacing his ball in the wrong spot at the Irish Open, but Golf Channel analyst Chamblee is having none of it.
Rahm, who went on to win his first European Tour title by six strokes, was told on the 13th tee of a possible penalty he might have committed on the sixth green. Replays showed Rahm marking his ball to the side on a short putt, but when he returned the ball he placed it in front of the mark.
FEATURE: RAHM INCIDENT POLES APART FROM LEXI AFFAIR
McPhee cleared Rahm of the potential two-stroke penalty, citing there was only a "millimetres" difference between where the ball was initially marked and where it ended up, and that Rahm made a "reasonable judgement."
But Chamblee took to the Golf Channel broadcast yesterday to give his take on proceedings, claiming the two-stroke penalty should have been given and it would have changed the complexion of the tournament.
WATCH: RAHM ESCAPES PENALTY FOR REPLACING BALL IN WRONG SPOT
"The integrity of the competition was certainly at risk, and the dynamic of the competition completely changed from what it should have been to one person's interpretation, and in my opinion, a wrong interpretation of it," said Chamblee.
"Andy McPhee certainly has a great reputation administering the rules in a fair manner, but I believe he got this one wrong. It wasn't millimetres. It was inches, probably two, three inches that this ball was misplaced. So, he broke the rule. He should have been penalised, which means he wouldn't have been playing with a five-shot lead. He would have been playing with a three-shot lead.
"All of a sudden, what looks to be something easy and a walk in the park becomes very stressful," he continued. "The dynamic certainly changed there and I don't believe it changed for the right reason."
Chamblee's words are polar opposites to the views of our PGA Rules panel member Ashley Weller. Whose side are you on?
