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Bryson DeChambeau was handed a controversial two-shot penalty at the Open last week, and President Donald Trump said it was a “difficult decision.”
DeChambeau reportedly wanted to ask Trump for help after the LIV Golf star engaged in a heated exchange with rules officials at the Open. The president did not intervene but sympathized with DeChambeau when asked about it this week.
“I thought Bryson’s call was a tough call,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday.
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President Donald Trump speaks at Wheeler High School Wednesday, July 22, 2026 in Marietta, Georgia. (Julia Démarée Nikhinson/AP)
“I saw him walking around. I see a lot of people walking around looking for their ball in the weeds. Okay. But I watched that, so, you know, I thought it was a tough call against him.”
On the fifth hole during DeChambeau’s second round at The Open, he appeared to walk through the weeds, trampling the rough behind him and making it lie flat for his swing out of the rough. After the ride, he returned to Tall Fescue and pleaded his case to the proper authorities, but to no avail.
After getting involved in FIFA’s suspension of Folarin Balogun’s red card for the USMNT’s Round of 16 matchup against Belgium, and now with DeChambeau reaching out, Trump was asked if there was precedent for someone in his position becoming a fixer for athletes.
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American Bryson DeChambeau speaks to a rules office before playing his shot on the 18th hole during day three of the British Open Golf Championship at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, Saturday July 18, 2026. (Peter Morrison/AP)
“Well, that’s not a fixer. You mean being a judge,” Trump said.
Trump compared DeChambeau’s situation to Balgoun’s and said the red card suspended by FIFA had worked “brilliantly.”
“I thought the red card was a very difficult decision, and it worked wonderfully. Look, assuming they didn’t let it play and we lost, everyone would have been angry, right? About the way they lost to their best player. Now everyone is happy, including Belgium. Of course, they lost the next game, so they might not be so happy either.
“But it worked out really well. (Gianni Infantino) did a good job taking that call. Everything I did, I asked for a review. I thought that call was not a good call.”
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American Bryson DeChambeau rides in a buggy with a rules official after the second round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, July 17, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Reuters)
While Balogun was able to play, the USMNT lost 4-1 to Belgium, ending their World Cup run in the round of 16.
As for DeChambeau, he remained in contention despite the two-shot penalty until he made a triple bogey on the 11th hole during the final round on Sunday, effectively putting him out of contention.
DeChambeau finished 4 under for The Open, tied for 14th. The Open was the only major championship DeChambeau qualified for this season.
