Bryson DeChambeau appears to mock controversial Open penalty in new viral video

Bryson DeChambeau has appeared to poke fun at the biggest controversy of The Open after a new video emerged on social media showing the LIV Golf star pretending to weed whack the rough during the final round at Royal Birkdale.

The clip (watch below) surfaced just days after DeChambeau received a controversial two-shot penalty that derailed his title challenge, with many fans interpreting the gesture as a tongue-in-cheek response to the criticism that followed.

The two-time U.S. Open champion can be seen mimicking the use of a weed whacker before addressing his ball, in what appeared to be a nod to Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee's remarks after the R&A upheld the penalty.

As the 32-year-old performed his weed-whacking motion, spectators loudly cheered. 

"He just danced all over the path behind the golf ball, and he did everything but take a weed wacker to the tall grass," Chamblee said. 

"It is really hard to stomach the silliness that we've seen here from Bryson. You accept this like a man. You look at the evidence and you're like, 'You're right. I did break the rule.'"

Adding to the online frenzy, fake videos also circulated across social media appearing to show DeChambeau using a weed whacker in the rough where the incident occurred.

Some fans praised DeChambeau for laughing off the controversy, while others felt it showed a lack of maturity given the circumstances surrounding the penalty.

The incident that overshadowed DeChambeau's week came after his second round on Friday.

Initially credited with a brilliant 66 to move to 7-under par and within one shot of the lead, the R&A later ruled he had breached Rule 8.1 by inadvertently improving the conditions affecting his stroke before playing his second shot from the rough on the par-4 5th.

The two-shot penalty turned his 66 into a 68, dropping him to 5-under and three shots behind heading into the weekend.

The ruling divided opinion throughout the game.

Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns were among those who defended DeChambeau, believing the punishment was harsh.

Rory McIlroy strongly disagreed.

"To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn't feel like it was a great look," said McIlroy.

The six-time major champion also described DeChambeau as "performative" during the lengthy process and admitted he is "not particularly fond" of the LIV Golf star.

Despite initially suggesting he could withdraw from The Open as he deemed he was "unfairly penalized", DeChambeau later confirmed - at midnight - via social media that he would continue in the championship.

His actions, however, caused undue delay to the release of the third-round tee times, which infuriated a number of players and fans who needed to get on and plan their alarm calls for Saturday morning. 

The American was unable to recover over the weekend, carding rounds of 69 and 72 to finish tied for 14th on 4-under par, although the result did end a run of three consecutive missed cuts in the majors.

DeChambeau also drew laughs during Saturday's third round when he theatrically approached his ball in the rough on the 18th hole, motioning for everyone nearby to stay clear before carefully taking his stance.

The fallout has continued since The Open.

Veteran golf writer Geoff Shackelford has since reported that DeChambeau asked for U.S. President Donald Trump to become involved as he argued against the two-shot penalty.

According to Shackelford, citing sources familiar with the discussions, DeChambeau "was pleading his case and wanted the President of the United States to weigh in."

The request reportedly came during a review that lasted well over an hour.

Before the final decision of a two-shot penalty, R&A officials allowed DeChambeau to return to the 5th hole with Executive Director of Governance Grant Moir and DP World Tour referee Mark Litton to inspect the lie in the fescue rough.

Discussions then continued inside the Recorders' trailer with R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon and Executive Director of Championships Johnnie Cole-Hamilton.

Shackelford reported that DeChambeau had not signed his scorecard during a 30-minute meeting inside the trailer, delaying score processing for players who had finished later in the day and pushing confirmation of Saturday's tee times close to midnight.

His reported request involving President Trump was rejected, as was his appeal against the penalty.

DeChambeau largely declined to speak with reporters throughout the week at Royal Birkdale following the controversy, with the exception of a brief interview with an R&A media official after his opening round where he appeared to mock Sir Nick Faldo's "strategy" comments from earlier in the week. 

The Crushers captain returns to action this week at LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf & Country Club, where it remains to be seen whether he addresses the penalty, McIlroy's criticism or the latest revelations surrounding the incident.

One thing is clear: the fallout from Royal Birkdale is far from over.