In defence of Bryson DeChambeau

If you were to catalogue every sporting indiscretion, it should be easy to know where to place Bryson DeChambeau’s so-called “poor sportsmanship” at the Porsche European Open.

Relative to Lance Armstrong’s sustained and systematic drug taking, Mike Tyson biting a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear, or Eric Cantona kung fu kicking a football fan, DeChambeau’s brief handshake for Porsche European Open champion Richard McEvoy is a ‘nothing’, a total non-story.

Thanks to the indignant viewing gallery that is social media, however, the whole incident has been blown wildly out of proportion.

Social media is like a bandwagon depot where every person has a
platform and every thought – no matter how inane, offensive or factually
inaccurate – has a captive audience.

People who used to just mutter under their breath in the sanctity and
solitude of their own homes now have a keyboard to thump and,
worryingly, a mob of like-minded folk to talk to.    

• Bryson DeChambeau ‘disappointed’ by the scrutiny of him

To that extent, the cyber-wielding of pitchforks and torches in
DeChambeau’s direction is no surprise. The American is a non-conformist
in a world where conformity is a comfort-blanket. He does things
differently. He challenges convention. He marches to the beat of his own
drum.

And some people just can’t handle that.

Too bad.

That’s their problem, not Bryson’s. And it certainly doesn’t give them the right to fill other people’s timelines with some of the hyperbolic b*****ks they’ve been posting in the last 48 hours.

For the avoidance of doubt, after blowing the chance to win the European Open, DeChambeau removed his hat and shook McEvoy’s hand.

Are we really so precious that we are offended the handshake didn’t last as long as it should have, or that he didn’t congratulate McEvoy warmly enough?

• Footage shows Bryson DeChambeau battling demons on the range at Carnoustie