DeChambeau feels the love from fans at the British Open and stays in contention for claret jug

If the American was concerned how he’d be received at Royal Birkdale the day after his heated brush with officials and subsequent two-shot penalty — for inadvertently improving the path of his swing — that blew up the final major of the year, he needn’t have worried.

OK, there was the odd jibe from the deep galleries — “Watch your step, Bryson” was one of them — but DeChambeau enjoyed overwhelmingly positive support around the parched, sun-kissed links in his third-round 69 that left him four shots off the lead on Saturday.

In fact, golf’s big entertainer reveled in it.

After hitting his tee shot at No. 1 left and onto trampled-down grass near spectators, DeChambeau flicked away a pine cone and remarked that it was a “loose impediment” — sparking some laughter.

On the second hole, he appeared to have a wry smile on his face as he assessed how to get to his ball that was buried in thick grass to the back left of the green. Every movement and practice swing by DeChambeau was met with a “ooooooh” by fans, clearly a nod to Friday and his heavily scrutinized actions in deep rough at the fifth hole that sparked the rules review.

At the par-4 sixth hole, DeChambeau drew more laughter from spectators when he addressed his second shot by stretching out his legs in an exaggerated stance — similar to how he stood for the shot in question on Friday.

Paul McGinley, an analyst on British broadcaster Sky Sports, predicted early Saturday that what happened to DeChambeau the previous would spur him on.

“Playing with a chip on your shoulder can be a good thing,” McGinley said.

Similarly, Jon Rahm, a colleague of DeChambeau's at LIV Golf, used the American as an example of players who “do really well when they have, let’s say, some extra going on off the course.”

Indeed, it seemed DeChambeau was treating Saturday’s round as another chance to interact with fans, some of whom would likely have been among the nearly 2.8 million subscribers to his YouTube channel.

He rarely missed a chance to high-five spectators who stuck their hands out as DeChambeau walked from greens to tees.

Another fan shout came on the tee at the reachable par-4 ninth hole, imploring DeChambeau to use his driver. He obliged, slowly and theatrically removing the big stick from his bag, taking off the head cover to loud cheers and booming his drive 354 yards to the front of the green.

“Performative” was how Rory McIlroy described DeChambeau in a brutal post-round put-down on Saturday.

“I think a lot of it is for attention,” McIlroy said.

DeChambeau has suggested the swelling popularity of his YouTube channel — where he has fun, comes up with some wacky ideas and shows the world a different side to him — is as important as the results he gets.

Yet not much in golf beats lifting the claret jug.

And he's still very much in contention, even if a bogey at No. 18 ruined a closing stretch where DeChambeau made gains with birdies at Nos. 15 and 17. He had been even par after 14 holes.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf