Rory McIlroy has launched a scathing attack on Bryson DeChambeau following a rules controversy at The Open on Friday evening.
DeChambeau was accused of improving his swing path on the fifth hole in Friday’s second round.
The R&A stressed the incident was accidental, but the American was docked two strokes regardless.
DeChambeau threatened to pull out of the major despite being within three shots of the lead.
As his row with rules officials raged on, players were left waiting find out their tee time until 11pm local time, which drew criticism from a number of golfers.
The 32-year-old opted to remain in the championship, though McIlroy has since accused DeChambeau of ‘holding The Open hostage’.
“Yeah, look, I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson,” McIlroy began.
“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.”
‘Penalty was justified’
DeChambeau was disappointed with the outcome of the rules controversy, however the Northern Irishman felt the R&A had no other choice but to punish the American having watched the footage back.
“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,” McIlroy continued.
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“Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think 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.”
Xander Schauffele was among those who felt his compatriot should have been given the benefit of the doubt, stating: “It’s a tough one… I haven’t spoken to him or heard what he said, but he’s just stepping in how you’d normally step in to hit a golf shot.
“I think The R&A said something along the lines of whether it’s intentional or not, it’s still a penalty.
“It’s a tough spot to be, obviously, when you’re in high brush, kind of having to dance around to get to your golf ball is a tricky thing. It’s not something we’re used to doing that often.
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“You imagine you give him the benefit of the doubt; he said he didn’t do it intentionally, and it’s unfortunate that he got penalised because he was playing incredibly well and obviously he’s still playing incredibly well, so he’s obviously going to have something to prove these next two days.”
Max Homa and Russell Henley, two American Ryder Cup players, also defended DeChambeau and questioned the penalty.
Rory and Bryson’s rivalry
There is no love lost between McIlroy and DeChambeau, who have developed into golf’s great modern rivalry.
They found themselves on opposite sides of the sport’s civil war when LIV Golf tried to establish itself as a competitor to the PGA Tour.
DeChambeau famously capitalised when McIlroy collapsed at the 2024 US Open.
At an exhibition months later, a clip went viral of DeChambeau telling McIlroy that ‘he did it to himself’ after the Northern Irishman said he wanted revenge for the American’s win.
McIlroy would get his revenge at the Masters in 2025 as the two golfers were paired together in the final round.
McIlroy, who claimed a historic victory, was called out by DeChambeau for giving him the silent treatment throughout the day.
Weeks later, the European Ryder Cup star hit back by asking the USA star: “What did you expect?”
McIlroy also dug out DeChambeau in a documentary reflecting on his win.
When asked about their rivalry at the 2026 Masters in April, DeChambeau insisted he still respected his counterpart.
“It’s great if we can continue to have a rivalry,” DeChambeau said, ahead of teeing off later this week.
“I don’t have any problem with that — if anything, that helps create more buzz around the game of golf.
“Do I respect him as an individual? One hundred percent. Do I want to beat him every time I see him? Absolutely.
“There’s no question about it.”
