Rory McIlroy Slams Bryson DeChambeau After Controversial Ruling | The Open 2026

Rory McIlroy delivered a brutally honest assessment of the controversy surrounding Bryson DeChambeau during the third round of the 154th Open Championship. McIlroy said he watched the incident live from the players’ lounge and immediately felt that something “didn’t seem right.” In Rory’s view, DeChambeau improved the line of his backswing, making the resulting two-shot penalty fully justified. He was even more critical of what happened afterwards. McIlroy said he would not pretend to defend Bryson, admitted that he is “not particularly fond of him,” and described much of DeChambeau’s behaviour as “performative” and designed to attract attention. Rory also criticised the lengthy delay caused by the situation, saying players, volunteers and tournament staff were left waiting for DeChambeau to leave. Elsewhere in the press conference, McIlroy reflects on his third-round performance, his struggles with the speed of the greens, his chances of mounting a final-round comeback and Ryan Fox’s brilliant round of 62. Topics covered: Rory’s assessment of his third round His chances of winning The Open Problems judging the speed of the greens Bryson DeChambeau’s two-shot penalty Whether the rules violation was intentional The delay caused by the aftermath Ryan Fox’s exceptional 62 #RoryMcIlroy #BrysonDeChambeau #TheOpen