Rory McIlroy was heavily critical of Bryson DeChambeau’s behaviour after his controversial ruling at The Open Championship.
The Northern Irishman said he wasn’t ‘particularly fond’ of DeChambeau and that his actions around the long grass on hole 5 that led to his two-shot penalty ‘didn’t look good’.
McIlroy, who had just carded a 69 on day three of the 154th Open at Birkdale, said he watched the whole thing from the player’s lounge in Southport and hoped DeChambeau’s actions were ‘careless’ instead of intentional.
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“I was watching it live. I was up in the players lounge watching it with a few other players, and as soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other, and we were like, that didn’t seem right.
“Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all – it was pretty obvious for why. Yeah, I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing. Again, it’s like, whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don’t think it matters. Hopefully it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure.
“I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention. To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”
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“I’m not in his mind – but it didn’t look good.”
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DeChambeau was judged to have accidentally improved his lie in thick rough on the 5th hole in round two at Birkdale. After shooting a 66 and reaching 7-under-par, one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert, DeChambeau’s score on the short par 4 was revised from a bogey 5 to a triple-bogey 7. The penalty took him back to five-under-par and four shots back.
In 2024, McIlroy and DeChambeau had an almighty tussle for the US Open title at Pinehurst. During a dramatic final round, McIlroy missed two short putts on holes 16 and 18, then DeChambeau made a remarkable up-and-down from the greenside bunker to seal his second US Open title.
In 2025, they faced off at the 2025 Masters where that time, McIlroy saw off DeChambeau and then Justin Rose in a playoff to win his first Green Jacket, his fifth major title and the career grand slam.
Both players have been on opposite sides of the professional fence in recent years. In 2022, DeChambeau joined the LIV Golf League for a reported nine-figure sum; meanwhile, McIlroy has often gone into bat for the PGA Tour, which DeChambeau left.
In terms of DeChambeau’s penalty, speculation about his actions in the long grass on the drivable par 4 on Friday was picked up by fans on social media. The R&A ferried him back out to the spot, then later, announced that he was penalised under Rule 8.1.
“Every shot is on camera. There’s a lot of guys that play this week, and the shots aren’t on camera,” McIlroy added. “So you can say that that’s unfair or whatever, or it might happen more than it does. It’s obviously impossible to police everyone, and that’s why it is, for the most part, a self-policing game.
“I think when there is obvious evidence like there was last night, then obviously that’s a different story.”
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