Golf analyst criticizes penalty imposed on Bryson DeChambeau at British Open
NBC golf analyst Kevin Kisner questioned the use of video review to penalize Bryson DeChambeau for improving his lie, while R&A officials upheld a two-stroke penalty that dropped DeChambeau from the lead.
NBC’s lead golf analyst Kevin Kisner said the two-stroke penalty given to Bryson DeChambeau at the British Open was unfair because it relied on camera footage rather than on-course observation. Speaking on the "Fore Play" podcast, Kisner argued that officials were not present at the moment of the incident and that using video angles to assess a rule violation could lead to inconsistent enforcement. > "I have a really hard time going back after rounds to penalize people based on them being on camera," he said. > "If someone else did the same thing and wasn’t on camera, they wouldn’t be penalized."
R&A officials determined that DeChambeau had illegally improved his lie in high grass on the fifth hole, turning a bogey into a triple-bogey and moving him from 7-under to 5-under, tied for fifth place. The penalty was applied even though the R&A’s executive director of governance, Grant Moir, described the improvement as accidental. DeChambeau ultimately finished tied for 14th after the ruling.
The incident sparked debate among players, with some supporting DeChambeau’s actions and others, including Rory McIlroy, criticizing the penalty as disruptive to the tournament.