Some players towed the line, but Bryson DeChambeau receives a two-stroke penalty Rory McIlroy believes he made the right decision after improving his swing path in the second round of the 2026 Open. In his press conference after the third round, the Northern Irishman said the penalty was justified and that there was more than a raised eyebrow when DeChambeau stepped onto his ball in the fescue of No. 5 on Friday.
“I watched it live,” McIlroy said. “I was watching the game in the players’ lounge with a few other players, and as soon as he stepped on the ball, we all looked at each other and thought, ‘That doesn’t seem right.’
“Then when I heard he was called by the rules guy…the reason was very clear. Yeah, I think there’s no question he improved his backswing line. Again, whether it was inadvertent or intentional, I don’t think it matters. I hope it was inadvertent, but I think the two-shot penalty was certainly justified.”
DeChambeau filed suit against R&A regulations officials At No. 5 after the end of the play. He was clearly frustrated as he aimed to sway their decision on the issue to no avail.
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DeChambeau’s score dropped from 7 under par to 5 under par due to the penalty, and the two-time U.S. Open champion was threatened through his agent with the possibility of withdrawing from the tournament, leaving him out of the final group for the third round. He remained at the driving range late into the night, working at various clubs and providing refreshments to media members who remained at the scene.
In the end, DeChambeau sent out a post on social media Friday night confirming that he plans to play this weekend.
“It’s a late night for everyone,” McIlroy said. “Oh, look, I’m not going to come up here and defend Bryson. I don’t particularly like him. I think a lot of it was a performance thing. I think it was attention-seeking. To have the tournament hostage like that, with the players, the volunteers, everyone waiting for him to go, didn’t seem like a good look.”
Some say situations like the one involving DeChambeau have happened in the past, but since not all players are on camera, it’s possible some players are circumventing the rules. McIlroy has heard those arguments, but believes DeChambeau’s penalty was cut entirely.
“It’s difficult. Every shot is on camera,” McIlroy continued. “A lot of guys play this week and their shots aren’t on camera, so you could say it’s unfair or whatever, and it could be more than it is.
“Obviously you can’t police everyone and that’s why it’s mostly a self-policing game. When you have clear evidence like last night, obviously I think it’s a different story.”
