Veteran PGA Tour caddie Kip Henley encouraged Bryson DeChambeau's rivals to ask the USGA whether he was breaking the rules during his US Open triumph.
DeChambeau, 30, had a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Matthieu Pavon heading into the final round at Pinehurst. But to Henley's trained eye, his putter's shaft looked vertical and did not appear to lean away from the head enough.
Henley, 64, also claims that PGA Tour players have accidentally used non-conforming clubs before. The long-time looper likewise clarified that the USGA would need a search warrant before they could check the specification of DeChambeau's putter.
Henley caddied for the late Grayson Murray last year before they parted ways at the end of the season. But watching NBC's television coverage at home in the United States, he pulled up DeChambeau for a potential violation issue.
"If I’m a player around the lead in the US Open, I would ask the USGA to check the specs on this putter," Henley said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, with an attached photo of his TV.
"The shaft has to lean away from the head at least 10 degrees. It sure looks vertical. Not being a d*** or hate him at all, but it is a rule."
The post came not even 20 minutes after Henley had shared a photo pointing out the empty seats on show as DeChambeau concluded his round. "Desham is having a cool Open, but look how many open seats!"
"Wonder how many open seats you could find if The Big Tig had this lead you could find." But it was the later post that went viral on Sunday night.
PGA Tour player Andrew Putnam even felt inclined to reply. "Probably should request a driver equipment check too; he’s hitting it too far and straight," Putman posted in response. "Also, drug test his caddie (Greg Bodine). He’s way too calm and having too much fun for it being a US Open."
Two minutes later, Henley replied: "lol. I don’t hate the boy, at all, and I completely love his looper Bodine! He’s a way better carrier than me. I was just giving us something to talk about. I’m fine with Desham winning !!"
But on Sunday morning, Henley backtracked in light of the social media backlash. "Jesus Mary and Joseph, you people have lost your minds!
"Don’t you think I would understand that Bryson's equipment has been inspected 1,000 times, and his putter would certainly be conforming? It was a tongue-in-cheek tweet that I knew would rile some of you up. This is the easiest pot I ever stirred.
Henley continued in a follow-up post: "(Andrew Putnam) got it quickly and threw his funny jab. Would any true golfer think Bryson’s putter hasn’t been inspected 100 times? They measure the thickness and rebounding qualities of drivers, for God's sake."
In the end, DeChambeau won't have cared about any of it, as he claimed his second US Open title, having previously won in 2020.
DeChambeau claimed his second US Open title on an extraordinary final day at Pinehurst to heap more major misery on a shellshocked Rory McIlroy.
DeChambeau brilliantly saved par from a fairway bunker on the 72nd hole, but McIlroy will wonder how he let his best chance to end a 10-year wait for a fifth major title slip through his fingers.
The Northern Irishman amazingly missed from two feet and six inches for par on the 16th and less than four feet on the 18th to suffer another heartbreaking loss.
Commentating for Sky Sports, six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo said: “That’s going to haunt Rory for the rest of his life, those two misses.”