Bryson DeChambeau is booed by Royal St George's crowd for refusing to use a driver off the 1st tee on day two at The Open, after his club manufacturer called him 'stupid' for saying their club 'sucks'... but only JUST hits the fairway with an iron!
- Bryson DeChambeau laughed off his spat with his club manufacturer on day two
- The American came out for the 1st tee with a four iron rather than a driver
- Fans let out some pantomine boos and DeChambeau urged them to boo louder
- He was then cheered by the crowd although his shot only just made the fairwayBryson DeChambeau has been hogging the limelight at The Open after his bizarre row with his club manufacturer but he was able to laugh at the attention he has been getting as he enjoyed a light-hearted exchange with fans as he started his round on day two.
The American spurned his driver in favour of a four iron for the 1st tee and as he prepared to take his shot the crowd behind let him out some pantomine boos.
The 27-year-old took the boos in good nature and responded by urging the fans to turn the volume up and as soon as his name was read out the boos turned in to loud cheers.
Bryson DeChambeau was able to see the funny side of his spat with his club manufacturer
DeChambeau went for a four iron on his 1st tee shot after complaining about his driver
He had a nervy moment as his shot swerved towards the rough before just making the fairway, narrowly avoiding an embarrassing moment after drawing more attention to his misgivings over his driver.
DeChambeau was at the centre of the story of the opening day at The Open when he blasted the quality of his driver, made by Cobra, after shooting 71.
'The driver sucks,' he said.
'It’s not a good face for me and we’re still trying to figure out how to make good on the mishits. I’m living on the razor’s edge.
'It’s a golf course that’s pretty short, so when I hit the driver and it doesn’t go on the fairway, if it’s not in the first cut, it’s in the hay. It’s tough for me to get it on to the green and control that.’
The 27-year-old took the boos in good nature and responded by urging the fans to turn the volume up and as soon as his name was read out the boos turned in to loud cheers
He had a nervy moment as his shot swerved towards the rough before just making the fairway, narrowly avoiding an embarrassing moment after drawing more attention to his misgivings over his driver
Cobra did not take the criticism lightly, with tour operations manager Ben Schomin, responding by describing DeChambeau's comments as 'stupid' in an unprecedented public row between player and sponsor.
He also likened the player to a spoilt child.
It’s just really, really painful when he says something that stupid,’ Schomin said.
‘He has never really been happy, ever. It’s very rare where he’s happy. Everybody is bending over backwards.
'We’re trying to get this into the pipeline faster and Bryson knows it,’ he added. ‘It’s like an eight-year-old that gets mad at you. They might fly off the handle and say, “I hate you”, but then you go, “Whoa, no you don’t”.
'We know as adults they don’t really mean that and I know if I cornered Bryson right now and asked, “What the hell did you say that for?” he would say he didn’t really mean to say it — but it’s still not cool.’
DeChambeau had an astonishing public row with manufacturer Cobra, saying his driver 'sucks'
DeChambeau shot 71 on day one after complaining of 'diabolical hay' on the course
DeChambeau was in a better mood on day two after apologising to Cobra about his comments
DeChambeau later said he regretted his comments in a post on Instagram, describing his words as 'unprofessional'.
'My frustrations and emotions over the way I drove the ball today boiled over. I sucked today, not my equipment,' he wrote.
'Cobra and I have worked together for over five years and they are some of the hardest working people in golf industry and make an incredible product. Their team is like family to me, especially Ben Schomin who has been there for me every step of the way since I started my career.
'I deeply regret the words I used earlier. I am relentless in pursuit of improvement and perfection. Part of that causes me to become outwardly frustrated at times. With the new speeds I am obtaining, my game is a constant work in progress and so is controlling my emotions.'
DeChambeau had also hit out at the unpopular Royal St George's Club in Sandwich, Kent, lamenting the 'diabolical hay' ahead of the competition.
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