Bryson DeChambeau said he believes he would have been "right there for the Claret Jug" if he did not receive a two-shot penalty in the Open Championship last week at Royal Birkdale.
DeChambeau made a positive start to last week's tournament after opening with a 67 and then a 66 on Friday, but his second-round score was later adjusted to 68 after he was handed a retrospective two-stroke penalty at the fifth hole.
He was punished after match officials ruled he had improved the area of his backswing by standing on and flattening some long grass after a video review.
DeChambeau, 32, was in the mix at the top of the leaderboard, but he dropped from second to fifth in the standings after his bogey was subsequently turned into a triple bogey.
He protested the decision and even threatened to pull out of the tournament, but he played through the weekend and carded a third round of 69 before a final day 72.
Ryan Fox clinched victory to claim his first major championship at 10 under. DeChambeau finished six shots back at four under, but he said the two-shot penalty played a pivotal role in his weekend.
DeChambeau is now playing in LIV Golf UK at the JCB Golf and Country Club. He told a news conference there: "Yeah, I made the cut. It was a good fight. I wish I'd have given it more on Saturday and Sunday; it felt like I could have.
"Besides the fifth, being three over on it, and the 11th, that's six shots. That's tied for the lead right there.
"Two holes and I'm right there for the Claret Jug."
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After missing the cut in his previous three major championships, DeChambeau's tied 14th-place finish gave him his strongest performance in a major since he was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at the 2025 PGA Championship.
DeChambeau's animated complaint well after Friday's round didn't earn him a lot of fans in the locker room -- particularly Rory McIlroy, who said he was "keeping the tournament hostage."
"I won't pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I'm not particularly fond of him," McIlroy said. "I think a lot of it's performative. I think a lot of it's for attention."
World No. 1 Scheffler was asked about McIlroy's comments ahead of the 3M Open.
"I've never been a big fan of personal jabs," Scheffler said.
"I don't think that rivalry is a big thing in golf just because, like I said, my biggest rivalry week in and week out is the golf course."
Information from PA was used in this report.
