Bryson DeChambeau threatens to involve former president after penalty at The Open

Bryson DeChambeau indicated he would call President Donald Trump to ask for help overturning a two-stroke penalty he received on the fifth hole of Friday’s round at The Open Championship in England. The penalty was assessed after officials determined that DeChambeau had unintentionally improved the conditions affecting his stroke by flattening the rough where his backswing passed, changing a potential bogey into a triple-bogey and dropping his score from 66 to 68.

The incident delayed the release of third-round tee times by about two hours, with DeChambeau announcing his decision to continue in the tournament shortly before midnight. Fellow competitor Rory McIlroy criticized the delay, saying, "> 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."

DeChambeau’s relationship with Trump dates back several years, including appearances together at Trump-owned courses and a 2024 YouTube challenge that garnered millions of views. He has publicly described Trump as a friend, endorsed him in the 2024 election, and serves on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

The 32-year-old golfer is ranked by Forbes as the fourth-highest-paid player in the sport, with earnings of about $52 million last year, and is currently competing for the LIV Golf league while maintaining a popular YouTube channel.