Bryson DeChambeau believes a controversial two-shot penalty at The Open Championship denied him the opportunity to challenge for the Claret Jug after finally speaking publicly about the incident.
The LIV Golf star was penalised during his second round at Royal Birkdale after tournament officials reviewed video footage and concluded he had improved the area of his intended backswing by flattening long grass on the fifth hole.
The ruling transformed what had initially been recorded as a bogey into a triple bogey seven, dropping DeChambeau from second place to fifth on the leaderboard heading into the weekend.
DeChambeau reflects on pivotal moment
The American considered withdrawing from the championship following the decision but ultimately chose to continue.
He recovered with weekend rounds of 69 and 72 to secure his best major finish in months, ending a run of three consecutive missed cuts and avoiding the unwanted distinction of missing all four majors in the same season.
Jamie Kennedy@jamierkennedyLooking back, however, DeChambeau believes the costly penalty proved decisive.
"I made the cut," he said during a LIV Golf UK press conference.
"It was a good fight. I wish I'd have given it more on Saturday and Sunday, it felt like I could have.
"Besides the fifth, being three over on it, and the 11th, that's six shots. That's tied for the lead right there.
"Two holes and I'm right there for the Claret Jug."
DeChambeau eventually finished six strokes behind champion Ryan Fox.
Mixed DeChambeau reactions from fellow stars
The incident sparked widespread debate throughout the tournament, with several of golf's biggest names weighing in.
GOLF.com@GOLF_comScottie Scheffler talked about the Bryson DeChambeau rules incident, and called for a stricter policing of the rules in professional golf.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler defended his compatriot, insisting DeChambeau should not be labelled a cheat despite the penalty.
Rory McIlroy, however, was far more critical, taking issue with DeChambeau's reaction after the ruling.
"I won't pretend to be up here and defend Bryson," McIlroy said during the championship.
"I'm not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it's performative. I think a lot of it's for attention.
"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."
