McIlroy criticises DeChambeau after penalty dispute at Open

Bryson DeChambeau received a two-stroke penalty on the fifth hole of the second round of the Open after officials determined he had improved his swing path by stepping on long grass. The decision was announced after DeChambeau returned to the area with officials, during which he hinted he might withdraw from the tournament, though he later confirmed he would play the third round.

Rory McIlroy, who was watching the incident from the players’ lounge, said the penalty was justified. > "I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing. Whether it was careless or intentional, I don’t think it matters. Hopefully it was careless but the two-shot penalty was justified, for sure." He added that the situation caused a delay in finalising tee times for the third round, which were not released until late Friday night, affecting other competitors.

Other players, including Justin Thomas and Marco Penge, expressed frustration over the timing uncertainty. Penge noted the lack of advance notice for tee times added to the disruption.

Max Homa, a fellow American, questioned the ruling, stating he disagreed with the penalty and believed DeChambeau would not intentionally cheat.

Tournament officials maintained that the penalty was applied according to the rules, and DeChambeau confirmed he would continue in the competition.