Bryson DeChambeau’s drama at the 2026 British Open at Royal Birkdale was a dream for clicks and content, but a nightmare for his fellow pros like Rory McIlroy. After finishing his third round, Rory was naturally asked about the episode on Friday where DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty for improperly improving his swing path, and the two-time Masters winner didn’t hold back.
There is no love lost between Rory and Bryson. The two were paired together during the final round of the 2025 Masters, and McIlroy made it clear that there was no small talk between the pair. But while there hasn’t been anything as explicit as McIlroy’s feud with Phil Mickelson or DeChambeau’s famous saga with Brooks Koepka, the two are never going to be pairing up for a YouTube collab anytime soon.
And if there was any hope of that happening in the future, it was blown to smithereens on Saturday.
When asked by reporters after his third round about DeChambeau’s penalty and ensuing temper tantrum, where he threatened to withdraw after he felt he was unfairly treated, McIlroy, like others in the golf world, condemned his antics.
Here’s Rory McIlroy going scorched earth on Bryson DeChambeau: “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… pic.twitter.com/UInSgw7isp
— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) July 18, 2026
“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 were like, ‘That didn’t seem right.’ And then when I heard he was called in by the rules officials I think it was pretty obvious for why. I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing. And again, 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,” McIlroy said.
And when specifically asked about the commotion Bryson DeChambeau caused afterward, in which he threatened to quit the British Open even though he was just three strokes off the lead, Rory McIlroy said he thought it was all an act and not a good look. He even went so far as to say that he was “not particularly fond” of Bryson, which is as stinging a statement as someone is likely to make in the golf world.
“Look, I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. 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,” McIlroy stated.
Say what you will about whether or not DeChambeau intended to improve his lie improperly, only he really knows what he was trying to accomplish, if anything. But the hours-long theater that followed was equally as infuriating for his fellow golfers and British Open personnel as he made the entire tournament revolve around him and his complaints.
The career arc of Bryson DeChambeau is unlike anyone in golf, and maybe even all of sports. He’s gone from a golf nerd to a mega villain to a popular YouTuber and round and round. But after a couple of years of good vibes and good times, even in spite of being part of the LIV Golf exodus, it looks like these shenanigans at Royal Birkdale have put Bryson squarely back into black sheep territory in the golfing world.
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