Golfer Bryson DeChambeau reportedly threatened to contact Donald Trump during a dispute with senior R&A officials on Friday. The incident occurred after DeChambeau received a two-shot penalty at the Open Championship, held at Royal Birkdale. This alleged threat adds a notable turn to the discussions surrounding the 2026 Open.
DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty for actions on the fifth hole during the second round, where he was judged to have improved the line of his swing. This was due to standing on long grass behind his ball. The R&A, which organises the Open, stated that DeChambeau’s actions inadvertently broke rules by trampling down knee-high rough. Despite the R&A emphasising that the actions were accidental, they maintained that the rule still applied.
The 32-year-old American golfer vehemently disputed the penalty. His arguments included insisting on returning to the scene of the incident with the R&A’s head of governance and a senior referee. Upon their return to the tournament scoring area, with the R&A’s decision unchanged, chief executive Mark Darbon joined the conversation. It was during this discussion that DeChambeau is understood to have stated he would call Trump if the matter was not resolved in his favour. There is no evidence that such a call actually took place, and the R&A has not commented on the reported Trump connection.
Penalty and player reactions
The penalty significantly impacted DeChambeau’s standing in the tournament, moving him out of second place. After Saturday’s round, DeChambeau reportedly went directly to Darbon’s office to request his round two scorecard, an unusual request that was politely declined by the R&A chief executive.
Fellow American golfer Scottie Scheffler, who was playing with DeChambeau when the incident occurred, defended him against accusations of cheating. Scheffler, the 2025 Open champion, stated, “I’ve never seen him cheat once, whether we were having a putting or chipping contest, or anytime we played amateur golf, I never saw anything suspicious.” He acknowledged that DeChambeau might have been “a touch careless around his ball” but did not believe his actions were intentional.
Rory McIlroy, another prominent golfer, acknowledged that he is “not fond of” DeChambeau but agreed that the penalty was correct. He stated there was “no doubt” DeChambeau had improved his backswing line, and accused his rival of holding the Open to “hostage” with his complaints.
Despite the controversy, DeChambeau received a warm reception from the Birkdale crowd when he began his third round on Saturday, though some isolated shouts inferring he was a “cheat” were heard. Scheffler rejected this notion, reiterating, “All I’ll say is I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater.”
Aftermath and ongoing discussions
The two-shot penalty was described by R&A chief executive Mark Darbon as a “clear-cut decision from a rules perspective.” However, this did not prevent DeChambeau from continuing to complain about the ruling. There was initial uncertainty about whether he would continue playing in the tournament due to the decision, but he later stated on Friday that it would “fire” him up for the weekend.
DeChambeau did not speak to mainstream media throughout the Open, nor did he offer comments after Sunday’s final round. His tied-14th finish in the Open marked his best performance in a major tournament in 2026. DeChambeau’s representatives have been approached for comment regarding the incident.
Trump is known to have regular communication with several high-profile golfers, including DeChambeau. The two had a warm exchange at last year’s Ryder Cup, and DeChambeau had previously stated that Trump would “inspire” the US team at Bethpage. DeChambeau has remained in the UK and is scheduled to play in LIV Golf’s event at the JCB Golf and Country Club from Thursday.
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Source: theguardian.com