Is Bryson DeChambeau playing the Open after the controversy? You go on social media

Bryson DeChambeau's social media accounts, around midnight on Saturday in England, shared texts that appeared to indicate that the two-time champion will play the third round of the Open Championship following a rules dispute on Friday.

“Over the weekend…” posted his Instagram account, along with eight photos – two of which refer to the incident that cost DeChambeau two strokes, and put his status in doubt over the weekend at the major tournament at Royal Birkdale in England. On X, DeChambeau's account wrote: “Obviously I'm disappointed in the decision. I don't agree with it, but it is what it is. This makes me angry. Weekend. Let's get it.”

One of the Instagram photos showed a cropped image of DeChambeau hovering over a patch of fescue grass to the left of Birkdale's 5th hole, along with the words “entering the weekend like…” In Friday's second round, DeChambeau found his ball in that area after the tee shot and, when he gauged how he played and rode the grass, he rode the grass. USA Network cameras showed the sequence, and after the round, the rules officials asked if DeChambeau, in control, had improved the area around the ball, a no-no mentioned in the Rules of Golf under Rule 8.1b.

Another photo posted on Instagram showed another DeChambeau cutting in the fescue area on the 5th hole, although this photo included two officials and was taken during the sequence after the round. DeChambeau and the officials revisited the place where he had played before making their decision, and, on several occasions, the pro appeared upset in the conversation.

After a discussion in the scoring tent, the R&A announced that DeChambeau's bogey 5 on the hole had been changed to a triple-bogey 7, and he dropped from second place and a stroke out of the lead to a tie for fifth and three back. Later, DeChambeau went to the Birkdale range to hit balls, and his agent, Brett Falkoff, told reporters at the course that DeChambeau was not sure if he would continue to play in the Open and that he would announce his decision Saturday morning. “He's a lot of things,” Falkoff said. “He is not a fraud.”

Does the post mean DeChambeau is playing? His decision, of course, won't be fully known until 3:30 pm local time (10:30 am ET) — when DeChambeau is scheduled to tee off on the 1st hole.

In explaining the decision to reporters, Grant Moir, the R&A's chief administrative officer, said DeChambeau was penalized for “inadvertently improving the area he intended to swing, so he intended to backtrack on the 5th hole when he played his second shot.”

Moir said the ruling “limits what a player can do to improve any protected stroke conditions, and this includes the player's target swing position. So improvement means changing one or more stroke conditions so that the player can gain a potential benefit from the stroke.”

“Now, I will stress that this applies even when the act is accidental, as it was in Bryson's case.

“The area of ​​the intended swing includes every area that may reasonably affect any part of the retreat, decline or complaint of the intended swing, and importantly, what action is prohibited here is that the player must not move, bend or break any object that is growing or attached. stroke, but when doing so, the player must take an intervention to deal with the specific situation and does not have the right to stop or swing normally.

“I will also emphasize that this law applies even if there is no intention to develop the area, as happened in Bryson.

“That's all I have to say.”

On Friday, DeChambeau did not officially speak to reporters. He is also yet to have an official press conference this week.