McIlroy slams DeChambeau over Open delay

Rory McIlroy accused Bryson DeChambeau of disrupting The Open after a rules dispute delayed the release of Saturday’s tee times.

The incident occurred late Friday at Royal Birkdale. DeChambeau had just posted a four-under 66 to move within one shot of the halfway lead. Officials later assessed a two-stroke penalty, ruling he had improved the line of his swing in long grass at the par-four fifth hole. The decision dropped him three strokes behind leader Lucas Herbert.

McIlroy, speaking after his own round, called DeChambeau’s behavior “performative” and criticized the disruption caused to players, volunteers, and staff. “I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson,” he said. “A lot of it’s for attention. To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”

The delay pushed the release of Saturday’s tee times to nearly 11 p.m., drawing frustration from other competitors. Marco Penge called the situation a “joke,” while Justin Thomas questioned the handling of the dispute on social media. DeChambeau, who declined post-round interviews, later posted that he was “disappointed” and “didn’t agree” with the ruling.

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McIlroy sided with the officials. “I was watching it live,” he said. “As soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other and were like, ‘that didn’t seem right.’ Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, it was pretty obvious why.” He added that the penalty was justified, regardless of intent. “Whether it was careless or intentional, I don’t think it matters. Hopefully it was careless, but the two-shot penalty was fair.”

The controversy reignited debates about golf’s self-policing nature. “Every shot is on camera,” McIlroy noted. “There’s a lot of guys that play this week and the shots aren’t on camera. So you can say that’s unfair, but it’s impossible to police everyone.”

Grant Moir, the R&A’s executive director of governance, confirmed the penalty fell under Rule 8.1, which applies even when an infraction is accidental. “It’s a rule that’s there to protect the field,” he said. “The evidence was clear.”

When asked if he felt DeChambeau’s actions were deliberate, McIlroy said: “I’m not in his mind – but it didn’t look good.”

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The drama overshadowed what had been a strong round for DeChambeau. His criticism reflected broader frustrations over how such disputes can affect the rhythm of a major championship.

The final round tees off Sunday, with coverage beginning at 8 a.m. local time.

DeChambeau rebounded with a solid performance on Saturday, though the dispute remained the focal point of the tournament.