Rory McIlroy has openly supported the two-stroke penalty handed to Bryson DeChambeau during the 2026 Open, asserting it was a justified decision. After his third round, McIlroy recounted watching the incident unfold live, where he and other players exchanged concerned looks as DeChambeau approached his ball in the fescue on No. 5.

• McIlroy emphasized:

I was watching it live... as soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other and... that didn’t seem right.

DeChambeau had argued his case with R&A rules officials after completing his play, visibly frustrated as he sought to overturn the penalty. The infraction cost him two shots, dropping his score from 7 under to 5 under, which ultimately removed him from the leading group for the third round.

Despite considering withdrawing from the tournament, DeChambeau confirmed via social media that he planned to continue competing over the weekend. McIlroy, however, did not hold back in his criticism of DeChambeau, stating,

I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I think a lot of it’s performative... to hold the tournament hostage like that wasn’t a great look.

McIlroy acknowledged the complexities of enforcing rules in golf, noting that while every shot is on camera, not all players receive the same scrutiny. He concluded that DeChambeau's penalty was clear-cut, reinforcing the importance of self-policing in the sport.