McIlroy criticises DeChambeau over Open rules row and tee-time delay

Rory McIlroy has criticised Bryson DeChambeau over the way the American handled a rules dispute at The Open, saying the episode left the championship waiting on his decision to continue. DeChambeau was given a two-stroke penalty during Friday's second round and briefly threatened to withdraw from the event.

The incident occurred on the fifth hole, where DeChambeau was judged to have improved his line of play. The R&A described the action as accidental, but the penalty stood regardless. DeChambeau, who remained in contention at the time, disputed the ruling with officials.

His stand-off with rules staff had a knock-on effect on the rest of the field, with players left unsure of their third-round tee times until around 11pm local time. The delay drew complaints from several competitors, and DeChambeau ultimately chose to stay in the tournament rather than pull out.

McIlroy's verdict

McIlroy, who said he watched the incident unfold live in the players lounge, argued the penalty was the correct outcome. The Northern Irishman said he had no intention of defending DeChambeau, adding that he found some of his fellow player's behaviour performative, and described the threat to withdraw as holding the tournament hostage while players, volunteers and staff waited on him.

McIlroy added that whether the movement of the ball was careless or deliberate made little difference to the outcome, and that the two-shot sanction was justified once the footage was reviewed. Xander Schauffele offered a more forgiving reading, suggesting DeChambeau had simply taken his stance in the manner any player would when playing from heavy rough, and that he would have preferred to see him given the benefit of the doubt.

Key points

• DeChambeau was penalised two strokes over an incident on the fifth hole during Friday's second round.
• The R&A said the breach was accidental but confirmed the penalty still applied.
• The American threatened to leave The Open before deciding to continue.
• Third-round tee times were not confirmed until around 11pm local time.
• McIlroy backed the ruling; Schauffele said he would have given DeChambeau the benefit of the doubt.

The exchange adds another chapter to a long-running cool relationship between McIlroy and DeChambeau, and puts fresh scrutiny on how the R&A communicates with players during live rulings. With DeChambeau staying in the field, attention now returns to the leaderboard — though the scheduling disruption and the manner of the dispute look set to linger beyond the final round.