Dechambeau overcomes club row ‘distraction’ to reach the weekend
Bryson Dechambeau overcame the “distraction” of an astonishing row with his club manufacturer to scrape through to the weekend in The Open.
The American was lambasted by Cobra after saying following an opening 71 at Royal St George’s that his driver “sucks”.
Speaking after adding a 70 to progress right on the mark, he said: “I made a mistake and, as time goes on, I’ll look back on this as a growing moment for me personally.
“Hopefully I can make the right things go on from here on out. I didn’t mean it, it was in a heated situation and I feel really bad about it.”
The 2010 US Open champion was heading for an early exit in the season’s final major before he birdied the 14th and 15th.
“It was, for sure,” he replied to being asked if the row had been a distraction. “And I hope it’s not moving into the weekend.”
Cobra’s stinging response to Dechambeau’s comments on Thursday were delivered by Ben Schomin, the company’s tour operations manager and the man who stepped in to caddie for him in the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit a fortnight ago after he’d parted company with his long-time bagman, Tom Tucker.
“They are fine,” insisted Dechambeau. “It’s one of those things in the moment. We have been working for a long time, for four years, on driver and still haven’t had the exact one that has it work for me at 195mph ball speed.
“We are still working on it and I know we will get there, it’s just going to take some time. Yesterday I wasn’t driving it particularly well and it got the best of me unfortunately.”
Brooks Koepka, Dechambeau’s nemesis, sits six shots ahead of him after a 66 that contained eight birdies, including three to finish, as well as a frustrating doublebogey 6 at the fourth.
“You can't make those mistakes,” said Koepka, who had opened with a 69 to sit five off the pace setting out.
“I'm okay with making bad swings, but making a mental mistake is inexcusable and so I’ve got to play a clean card pretty much this weekend if I want a chance.”
Rory Mcilroy, the 2014 champion, started bogeybogey after hoping he’d be able to take up where he’d left off when finishing with a birdie on Thursday.
In another topsy-turvy effort, he then birdied the fourth, ninth and 12th before dropping back-to-back shots again late on, blaming the first of those on a “mental error” at the short 16th.
After finishing with a 3 for the second day in a row for a 70 to sit on level-par, the fourtime major winner said: “The first two holes sort of put me behind the 8-ball a little bit.”
He fired back after it was suggested that he is trying too hard to get himself in the major mix after landing his latest one in this event seven years ago.
“Not at all. I've got four of them,” he said. “Geez, look, I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I get to do what I love for a living. I have a beautiful family. My life is absolutely perfect at the minute. I want for nothing, so it's not a case of trying too hard for sure.”
Mcilroy added: “The last couple of months it has felt close but it hasn't been close enough. I've got to keep working at it.
“It's fine. I go back two years and I was walking away after Friday in this tournament.”