Rory McIlroy believes the two-stroke penalty assessed to Bryson DeChambeau at the British Open for illegally improving his lie was justified. DeChambeau was penalized on the fifth hole on Friday after officials ruled he had moved his ball to a better spot in the tall grass, dropping him from 7-under par to 5-under.
McIlroy, speaking on Saturday, stated he was watching the incident unfold in the players' lounge and that he and other players immediately felt the action was improper. "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,’" McIlroy said. "When I heard that he’d been pulled in by the rules officials, I think it was obvious for why."
McIlroy emphasized that whether the infraction was intentional or a careless mistake, the outcome was the same. "I think there’s no doubt he improved the line of his backswing, whether it was careless or if it was intentional, it doesn’t matter, hopefully was careless," he stated. "I think the two-shot penalty was justified."
He further criticized the situation for the disruption it caused. "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 added.