Deep into the final round of The Open, Bryson DeChambeau found himself almost legless in the last chance saloon.
At minus five, four shots off the clubhouse lead with eight holes to play, he had yet to make a birdie all day.
A sliver of hope remained: in 2017, Jordan Spieth made up four shots on the back nine here to claim the Claret Jug.
But history would not repeat itself.
As DeChambeau stepped onto the tricky par-four 11th, his loyal band of fans cheered.
He took out a driver, but the Royal Birkdale rough was about to turn viciously against him. His drive flew 301 yards into thick rough on the left.
His second travelled just eight yards.
Then his third flew into deep fescue on the right, and after an extensive search, was declared unplayable.
The penalty was severe: a one-shot penalty and a buggy ride 138 yards back to the original spot.
As he made his way, the crowd serenaded him with a chant: “Rory! Rory McIlroy!”
The barb stung. A triple-bogey seven followed, ending his race.
The R&A could quietly exhale.
It was a far cry from the giddy atmosphere when DeChambeau first stepped onto the 1st tee earlier in the day.
Despite Friday's controversy over a two-shot penalty—and McIlroy accusing him of holding the tournament hostage—the crowd was 10 deep in places.
Young people with tattoos and many kids, not the typical golf crowd, cheered loudly. One fan shouted, “Rory’s going to buy you a pint after!”
drawing huge laughter.
Many of those cheering were likely among the 2.8 million subscribers to DeChambeau's YouTube channel, where he goes against the grain.
While most golfers prepared for The Open by playing in Scotland or practising early at Birkdale, DeChambeau filmed himself playing the nine-hole Northwood golf club in the Redwoods, garnering over 2 million views.
His play this week, however, seemed unaffected—at least early in the final round.
His first drive was pulverised into light rough, prompting gasps and a shout of “absolute rocket that!” His approach landed 10 feet from the hole.
“Let’s go, Bryson!” his believers chanted.
But the putt trickled wide.
To win, DeChambeau needed a fast start before 25mph gusts arrived, then hang on for dear life. Up ahead, Cameron Young and Scottie Scheffler were setting the blueprint.
Could he follow? Alas, no.
The 2nd hole mirrored the 1st: a huge drive, a decent approach, a missed putt.
The crowd remained overwhelmingly positive, with only one critical voice shouting, “Don’t stomp the grass down, Bryson,” on the 4th hole.
Imagine the reaction if McIlroy had received a two-shot penalty for stamping on the scrub behind his ball at Shinnecock Hills last month.
There would have been blue murder, not just sarcastic remarks. Yet the magic DeChambeau's followers expected never materialised.
Approaching the turn, his driver continued to be wayward.
Smart putts at the 6th and 7th saved par, but a bogey at the 8th saw him falling back.
As DeChambeau left Royal Birkdale, reporters hoping for a word heard only seven words: “Have a good night everyone.
Thank you.”
It was a shame, given that Friday's incident on the 5th hole had been analysed nearly as closely as the Zapruder film.
Thousands had their say.
On Sunday evening, Scheffler added his voice.
“Bryson, I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater,” he said.
“I’ve never seen him cheat once, whether we were having a putting contest on the putting green or chipping contest, or any time we played amateur golf, I never saw anything suspicious.
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.
Bryson is a guy that I’ve known for a really long time. Like I said, he’s not a cheater.”
The R&A has not accused DeChambeau of cheating, saying he inadvertently changed the conditions of his shot by walking on the fescue.
That incident created the biggest noise at The Open this year. Sadly for the man who made it, he mustered barely a whimper when it mattered most.
