ATLANTA – Bryson DeChambeau isn’t afraid to take an aggressive line off a tee if he thinks it will give him an advantage, but it almost cost him a shot Saturday at the Tour Championship.
DeChambeau launched his drive at the par-5 18th hole well left of the fairway and toward the adjacent 10th hole. His shot ended up on the far side of the 10th fairway and next to the 11th tee box, at least that’s what he was told.
After more than three minutes of searching, which is the limit under the Rules of Golf, he couldn’t find his golf ball until a PGA Tour official reviewed the footage from a nearby ShotLink camera and discovered a fan had picked up DeChambeau’s golf ball and walked away.
A @B_DeChambeau birdie adventure.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 5, 2021
- Wild line off the tee
- Search party ensues
- Determined a fan picked up the ball (and walked away with it)
- Free drop
- Hit the green in two
- Birdie
He's only the 5th player to hit the 18th green in 2 at East Lake. 👏 pic.twitter.com/s461c2sFSC
Full-field scores from the Tour Championship
DeChambeau, who declined to speak with the print media for the 15th consecutive round, was given a drop without penalty under the Rules of Golf and he finished with a birdie at the 18th hole for a third-round 72 and a share of seventh place.
Earlier this season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, DeChambeau took a similarly aggressive line across a lake on the par-5 sixth hole on his way to victory.