Rory McIlroy Tees Off on Bryson DeChambeau After Penalty Drama

Bryson DeChambeau is a polarizing figure, and that was on full display Friday after he learned of a two-stroke penalty he had received for improving the position of his ball prior to his second shot on the fifth hole.


DeChambeau, of course, didn’t take the news too well, appearing to mouth “I’m not playing tomorrow” to tournament officials before avoiding speaking with the media and going to hit balls on the range.

Everyone has their own opinion on DeChambeau and his actions, and it’s clear to say that Rory McIlroy wasn’t a fan of them — or him in general, for that matter.

The second-ranked golfer in the world ripped DeChambeau when speaking to the media on Saturday:

“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.

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,”

The 37-year-old McIlroy shot a 1-under 69 in his third round on Saturday and will enter Sunday at 2-under. Meanwhile, DeChambeau, 32, is currently even on the day, remaining at 5-under.

Bryson DeChambeau Rory McIlroy

McIlroy is known to have his issues with DeChambeau dating back years, including friction stemming from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf drama.

It was understandable to see DeChambeau so frustrated with being handed a two-stroke penalty while in contention at a major tournament. That said, he reacted differently than most would, and to no surprise, McIlroy called it out.

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