Bryson DeChambeau responded to a rules controversy at The Open by playfully mocking officials and playing to the crowd during his third round at Royal Birkdale. The incident occurred days after fellow golfer Rory McIlroy criticized DeChambeau's actions as "performative" and "for attention."
On Friday evening, DeChambeau received a two-shot penalty for "inadvertently" improving his lie on the fifth hole. Video showed the American golfer arguing with rules officials over whether he had stomped down long grass around his ball. The incident quickly gained attention online.
During his third round on Saturday, DeChambeau appeared unfazed by the penalty or occasional heckles from spectators, some of whom called him a "cheat." Near the 18th hole, he involved a rules official in a lighthearted reenactment of a rules situation. According to the Golf Channel, DeChambeau told the official that his ball had moved but he had not touched it, playfully stepping away and feigning innocence. Another clip showed him extending his arms in mock surprise as he approached his ball.
Following his round, DeChambeau reportedly had an animated conversation with R&A chief executive Mark Darbon, during which he requested his second-round scorecard, a request that was denied.
Earlier on Saturday, McIlroy had accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament "hostage" by delaying his decision on whether to withdraw from the event in protest of the penalty. This delay meant that official tee times for the rest of the field were not announced until late Friday night, a situation described by player Marco Penge as "a joke."
McIlroy stated that he was "not particularly fond" of DeChambeau and believed his actions were largely 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 said.
McIlroy, who finished his third round at two-under par, affirmed that the two-shot penalty for DeChambeau was justified. "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 commented on watching the incident unfold. "Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all - it was pretty obvious for why. 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."