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Rory McIlroy fired one of his biggest shots of the day Saturday at The Open during the press conference.
McIlroy, 37, addressed Bryson DeChambeau when asked about his conduct Friday after the 32-year-old was given a two-stroke penalty following a lengthy and heated interaction with rules officials well after the round.
“I’m not going to pretend I’m here to defend Bryson,” McIlroy told reporters after shooting a 1-under 69 in the third round. “I don’t particularly like it. I think a lot of it is performative. I think a lot of it is for attention.”
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(Left) Rory McIlroy watches his shot from the ninth tee during the second round of the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. July 17, 2026. (Right) Bryson DeChambeau looks from the first green during the first round of the US Open golf tournament in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images; Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
“Holding the tournament hostage like that,” McIlroy continued, “and having all of us – players, volunteers, everyone – waiting for him to leave, I didn’t feel like it was great.”
The two-time defending Masters champion said he had no doubt that DeChambeau had improved the line of his backswing; and that his actions “didn’t seem right.”
“I think there’s no doubt he’s improved his backswing line,” McIlroy said. “Again, it’s like whether it was negligence or whether it was intentional, I don’t think it matters. I hope it was negligence, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified, for sure.”
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his tee shot on the 7th hole during day three of the British Open golf championships at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, Saturday July 18, 2026. (Peter Morrison/AP)
Other golfers were a little more sympathetic to DeChambeau, with former Open champion Xander Schauffele calling the situation unfortunate.
“He said he didn’t do it intentionally, and it’s a shame he got penalized because he was playing incredibly well and obviously he’s still playing incredibly well,” Schauffele said, “so he’s obviously going to have something to prove these next two days.”
DeChambeau responded to the two-shot penalty with a strong third round, as he moved to 1 under par to finish the day at 6 under for the tournament. He is four shots behind Sam Burns, who leads at 10 under par for the tournament after shooting 5 under par on Saturday.
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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)
If DeChambeau falls two shots behind the winner on Sunday, the talk of his two-shot penalty won’t dissipate anytime soon.
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McIlroy is tied for 30th at 2 under par for the tournament and could use a great round and a lot of help to get into contention on Sunday.
