PGA Golfer Slammed for 'Classless' Finish to European Open Tournament
Golfers, on the whole, are a notoriously high-strung lot. A stimulus as mild as coins jingling in the pocket of a cameraman can set them off.
They are also not renowned for their civility when they’re playing poorly. A golfer having a bad round is best left in the manner of sleeping dogs rather than potentially provoked by even well-meaning words.
Which is how Bryson DeChambeau finds himself at the center of a controversy around his behavior on the golf course during the European Open this past weekend.
DeChambeau shot a 78 in the final round; he began the day tied for the lead but wound up finishing 13th.
So he ended up, perhaps accidentally, brushing off the tournament champion, Richard McEvoy, storming right past him on the 18th green as the two men who began the day as friendly rivals devolved into an odd couple of the hero and the goat.
The controversial Bryson DeChambeau "HANDSHAKE" after losing to Richard McEvoy. What do u think? Mistake, poor sportsmanship, or a new scientific anti bacterial no touch method?! Personally think he strode over there and took off hat so don't be too harsh. Tnx: NG. pic.twitter.com/58B5utYZMP
— ᴅᴏᴄ – GOLFCENTRALDAILY.com (@GolfCentralDoc) July 30, 2018
Eddie Pepperell, who finished sixth at the British Open, took to Twitter to eviscerate DeChambeau with his words.
Has to be said, as far as classless handshakes go, that was a good’n!
— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) July 29, 2018
“Has to be said, as classless handshakes go, that was a good’n”, Pepperell said, referring to the curt handshake DeChambeau gave McEvoy before charging off.
One commenter also noted that DeChambeau’s visible frustration caused a distraction that could have cost McEvoy the tournament.
Agree. It also has to be said that, however understandable, throwing your cap in the air and your arms up before your playing partner has holed out isn't textbook either.
— Bill Fox (@FoxBill11) July 30, 2018
Things didn’t completely go sideways for DeChambeau right away. As late as the 13th hole, he still looked very much in it to win the event.
But that’s when the trouble started, DeChambeau shooting 5-over par on his last five holes, including a triple-bogey on 18 to ensure his tumble all the way out of the top 10.
McEvoy, meanwhile, drained a 20-foot putt with the ice-in-veins cool demeanor befitting a champion.
DeChambeau, meanwhile, apologized on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl09g0YBN8Z/
“I apologize to Richard McEvoy and the fans for my brevity on 18. He is a class act, worthy champion and I enjoyed playing with him the past two days,” DeChambeau wrote.
DeChambeau is a bit of an eccentric even by golf standards.
He shows up attired in a Ben Hogan cap and has been known to put his physics degree to work trying to come up with mathematical analysis of the golf holes he plays.
The PGA even had to make a ruling to determine that the drawing compass he uses to determine pin placement is a device of the same sort as the range finders the pro tour bans in competition.
It turns out DeChambeau’s eccentricities also come with a hot temper, something the two-time PGA Tour champion should devise a formula to overcome before he gets torn apart on social media again.
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