Bryson DeChambeau ends media blackout: "I was passionate about what I believed"

Bryson DeChambeau has spoken publicly for the first time since he was assessed a two-shot penalty during the second round of The Open at Royal Birkdale. 

DeChambeau, 32, was docked two strokes after Friday's second round he was judged to have inadvertently improved his swing path on the fifth hole before playing his second shot. 

R&A officials said DeChambeau broke the rules by trampling down knee-high rough behind his ball. 

A furious DeChambeau mulled withdrawing from the final men's major of the year and even threatened to get US president Donald Trump involved in proceedings when he was informed of the penalty after walking off the 18th green. 

Watch here:

In the end, DeChambeau carried on and shared 14th place in Southport, but the golfer refused to speak about the incident until after the first round of LIV Golf's event in at JCB Golf & Country Club in Staffordshire.

"Yeah, I made the cut," DeChambeau said on Thursday when asked for his takeaways from the week. 

"No, it was a good fight. I wish I would have given it more on Saturday and Sunday. Felt like I could have.

"Besides the fifth hole and being three-over on that hole and then the 11th hole, that’s six shots. 

"That's tied for the lead right there. That's two holes and I’m right there with the Claret Jug."

He added: "I wish we could have gone to battle last week. It wasn't that way. But life goes on.

"There are moments of adversity in everybody’s life, and I was passionate about what I believed and thought was right. 

"For me, it's now in a place that it is what it is, and you keep moving through it. You keep moving past it."

The rules controversy undoubtedly overshadowed the 154th Open. 

New Zealand's Ryan Fox, 39, became the champion golfer of the year after draining a clutch birdie putt on the 18th to break Cameron Young's heart. 

After he was told of the penalty, DeChambeau asked to go back to the scene of the incident. 

He was observed telling the chief referee that he "wouldn't play" and reportedly refused to sign his scorecard.

The incident led to the delay in the publication of round three tee times. 

Although Open officials stressed DeChambeau's actions had been accidental, it didn't stop several other high-profile players offering their points of view.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy told reporters that he wasn't fond of DeChambeau, adding that the LIV star "clearly" improved his swing path. 

DeChambeau's Ryder Cup teammates, unsurprisingly, came out of to defend the American. 

Sam Burns, who shares the same agent as DeChambeau, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele were among those to highlight DeChambeau's integrity. 

World number one Scottie Scheffler said he had never seen DeChambeau cheat once during his collegiate and professional career.

"Whether we were having a putting or chipping contest, or anytime we played amateur golf, I never saw anything suspicious," said Scheffler.

"When you're watching him there from that camera angle, maybe he was a touch careless around his ball, but I don't think he did anything intentionally."

"All I'll say is I've known him for a long time, and he's a lot of things, but he's definitely not a cheater," said the 2025 Open champion.

Scheffler said he felt the angles of video replays made any reviews far from conclusive.

He added: "I think we need to get back to the traditions of the game and maybe we do need to police things a little bit more stricter."