When Joaquin Niemann received a two-stroke penalty for club-throwing at the 2026 U.S. Open, most analysts and professionals supported the decision. But when Bryson DeChambeau received the same penalty at The Open for improving his lie on the fifth hole in Round 2, it led to a hot debate. Now, Rory McIlroy has chimed in with his views on the ruling.

“I was watching it live. I was up in the players lounge watching it with a few other players, and as soon as he made the step into the ball, we all looked at each other, and we were like, that didn’t seem right. Then, when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all — it was pretty obvious why. Yeah, 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,” McIlroy said in his post-round conference.

However, it wasn’t just the ruling he spoke about. DeChambeau and his team headed back to the 5th hole along with officials to discuss the penalty. There, the two-time major winner had a close to half an hour-long heated conversation. A reporter asked the Northern Irishman about that behavior, and he didn’t hide anything.

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many Shots Was Bryson DeChambeau Penalized in R2 of the Open?

2134

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

“Late night for everyone. Yeah, look, 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 two-time Masters champion isn’t the only one to say this. Marco Penge took to X and mocked him, saying someone should confirm if DeChambeau would play on Moving Day so golfers can have their tee times. Justin Thomas also wrote, “Hey @TheOpen, can we get some 3rd round tee times please???”

These comments from McIlroy don’t come as a shock. The two golfers don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. Their relationship has moved from a pure sporting matchup into a simmering personality clash. None of them ever misses a chance to criticize the other in interviews and public comments. When DeChambeau defeated McIlroy to win the 2024 U.S. Open, the Northern Irishman didn’t speak to the media or congratulate him.

Then, before the 2025 Ryder Cup, the American golfer said that he would “chirp in [McIlroy’s] ear” at Bethpage Black.

Responding to it in an interview with The Guardian, the 37-year-old said, “I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people.”

He echoed similar sentiments today, saying that most of what DeChambeau did was to get attention. Regardless of whether it was for attention or not, the R&A chief, Mark Darbon, said it was a clear-cut decision. He noted that it would have been unjust to other professionals if the decision were anything other than that.

The ruling split public opinion. Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley criticized him while broadcasting. Chamblee specifically said that “there were multiple infractions.” Similarly, Sir Nick Faldo also said that DeChambeau “lost the plot” and made the issue about himself.

On the other hand, professionals like Max Homa have supported DeChambeau. He said that DeChambeau “would never cheat the game of golf.”