New reports from British media suggest that Bryson DeChambeau threatened to call President Trump while arguing with R&A officials about the two-shot penalty he received at the British Open.
While arguing with R&A chief executive Mark Darbon, DeChambeau threatened to call the president if the dispute was not resolved in his favor, according to Ewan Murray of The Guardian. There is no evidence that such a call actually happened, and DeChambeau ultimately remained in the tournament and accepted the penalty.
DeChambeau was penalized for what rules officials saw as him flattening high grass behind the ball to improve his lie on the par-4 fifth hole at Royal Birkdale. He vehemently disagreed with the penalty and even threatened to quit the tournament over it, though he did not do so.
Some of DeChambeau’s fellow players sided against him when asked about the penalty and his reaction to it. By Saturday, he was trying to make light of the whole affair, perhaps aware of the growing criticism of his behavior.
DeChambeau and Trump have been friendly for quite some time. Perhaps he took note of Trump’s perceived influence over the FIFA World Cup and thought he might be able to get a similar outcome regarding his penalty.
