Bryson DeChambeau Faces Open Championship Penalty Amid Trump Call Allegations

The 2026 Open Championship was marked by a tense rules confrontation involving Bryson DeChambeau, who was assessed a two-stroke penalty during Friday’s second round. The incident occurred on the par-4 fifth hole at Royal Birkdale, where television footage showed DeChambeau shuffling his feet and flattening long grass in the rough behind his ball. According to Forbes, officials determined he had unintentionally improved the conditions affecting his stroke, turning his bogey into a triple-bogey.

The Alleged Trump Intervention Request

Following the ruling, DeChambeau engaged in a heated discussion with R&A officials, including chief executive Mark Darbon. Multiple outlets reported that DeChambeau threatened to contact President Donald Trump to intervene. This alleged strategy drew comparisons to an incident involving U.S. national team soccer player Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was reviewed after an intervention by the President.

Despite the speculation, there is no evidence that a call was placed. No, I have not received a call from President Trump, Darbon told BBC Sport when asked about the matter. The R&A maintained that the penalty was a clear-cut application of the rules, regardless of the player involved.

Scottie Scheffler’s Defense of DeChambeau

While the incident sparked widespread criticism, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler offered a staunch defense of his peer. Speaking after the third round, Scheffler argued that while DeChambeau may have been careless, there was no malicious intent to cheat.

“All I’ll say is Bryson—I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater. I’ve never seen him cheat once, whether we were having a putting contest on the putting green or chipping contest, or anytime we played amateur golf, I never saw anything suspicious.”

For more on this story, see British Open Thursday live updates, leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler in the hunt early.

Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler also noted that high-profile players face unique scrutiny because their shots are constantly broadcast by high-definition cameras. When you’re watching him there from that camera angle, maybe he was a touch careless around his ball, but I don’t think he did anything intentionally, Scheffler said. He added that the sport might need to return to stricter self-policing, citing the difficulty officials face in balancing technology and intent.

Rory McIlroy and the Tournament Disruption

Not all peers were as sympathetic. Rory McIlroy criticized the incident, particularly the delay caused by the standoff, which reportedly held up tee time processing until nearly 11 p.m. I won’t pretend to defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him, McIlroy stated. 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 affirmed that the two-stroke penalty was correct, regardless of whether the improvement of the lie was accidental. DeChambeau, who finished tied for 14th, later posted on Instagram acknowledging the disappointment but focusing on moving forward.

Sources: Theguardian, Yahoo Sports.