Masters champ Rory McIlroy isn't afraid to speak his mind. The pro had plenty to say about fellow golfer Bryson DeChambeau’s two-stroke penalty during the second round of The Open for “improving the area of his intended swing.”
DeChambeau was told about the penalty after the round… and what ensued sparked a chain of controversial events. The golfer and The R&A returned to the fifth hole (the site of the penalty) for approximately 15 minutes, according to the PGA. The result? DeChambeau’s plea didn’t have the desired effect, and his penalty stood.
Executive Director of Governance for The R&A, Grant Moir, explained, “What the prohibited action here is that the player mustn’t move, bend, or break any growing or attached neutral object. A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance.”
Moir continued, “But when doing so, the player must take the least intrusive course of action to deal with the particular situation and is not entitled to a normal stance or swing.”
But the story doesn’t end there. McIlroy spoke out about the incident to the press, saying, “Look, I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson, and I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention. And yeah, to hold the tournament hostage like that and have all of us, volunteers, players, everyone waiting on him to depart. I don’t feel like it was a great look.”
Rory McIlroy at the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 18, 2026, in Southport, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)He explained, “So I was watching it live. I was up in the player’s 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 were like, that didn’t seem right. And then when I heard that he was, you know, he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all, it was pretty obvious for why. Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his back swing. So, you know, and 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.”
View this post on InstagramAfter making this statement, the backlash flipped from Bryson to Rory. When Golf Magazine posted a clip on Instagram from the interview, fans commented, “While he may be right, very unprofessional to talk about another player like that. Just say you thought the officials were right on the call and move on”, “Bryson lives rent-free in Rory and Chamblee’s head” and, “I really like Rory, but that comment about not “being fond” of him shows zero class.”
Even though critics clapped back against McIlroy, some supported him. On a recent Reddit post, one commenter wrote, “I love how Rory has never been shy of giving his opinion when he has one. So many stars are more concerned with not offending anyone,” while another responded, “I like Rory more and more every day.”
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