It was the swing—and the stomp—seen ‘round the golfing world. Last week at the British Open, Bryson DeChambeau hit his second shot at the par-4 fifth hole, but not before he arguably improved his lie by intentionally stepping on some of the long grass behind his ball. The R&A slapped him with a two-stroke penalty, dropping him into a tie for fifth following the second round. He went on to fizzle out at Royal Birkdale, shooting a two-over 72 to finish in a tie for 14th place at the year’s final major championship.
DeChambeau, ever the petty sportsman, barely spoke to reporters during his British Open outing. He also declined to make himself available to the media on Tuesday and Wednesday, ahead of his participation at LIV Golf U.K. at JCB Golf and Country Club.
But on Thursday, the YouTube-ing personality finally opened up—well, a little.
During his media availability at LIV Golf U.K., DeChambeau fielded exactly one question about the British Open.
“Now that you’re a few days removed from last week and maybe you’ve had some time to process, what are your takeaways from Birkdale? It was quite the fight back after some adversity,” the reporter asked, alluding to his two-shot penalty.
“Yeah, I made the cut,” Chambeau said, chuckling to himself. “Yeah no, it was a good fight. I wish I would have given it more on Saturday and Sunday. Felt like I could have. Besides the fifth hole and being three-over on that hole and then the 11th hole, that’s six shots. That’s tied for the lead right there. That’s two holes and I’m right there with the Claret Jug.”
After being given a 2-stroke penalty when he was one shot off the lead at last weeks Open Championship, Bryson DeChambeau laments on what could've been, "Two holes and I'm right there with the Claret Jug." pic.twitter.com/azOe7WBDvG
— Chris McKee (@mrmckee) July 23, 2026
Ryan Fox ultimately prevailed as the victor, a fast-playing fan-favorite who took home the Claret Jug after sinking a 12-foot birdie on the final hole to clinch his first major title.
Notably missing from the drama of Sunday’s British Open finale was DeChambeau, who played his way out of contention that weekend by shooting a 72 in the fourth round. His two-shot penalty ended up not mattering anyway, as he trailed Fox by six shots in the end—no matter how close a perhaps delusional DeChambeau believes he was to winning the Claret Jug.
That being said, DeChambeau picked up right where he left off at Royal Birkdale and opened 8-under-64 on Thursday in round one of LIV Golf U.K., trailing leader Lucas Herbert by three shots.
Looking back at Bryson DeChambeau’s drama-filled British Open debacle
DeChambeau made himself into the biggest story at the British Open, and he doesn’t seem to regret anything except for a couple of wayward shots. His chaotic four days at the tournament saw him throw what some would categorize as a childish tantrum, as he reportedly even tried to get President Trump to overrule his two-shot penalty. (He and Trump have been friends dating back to at least 2020, when Trump’s son Eric hosted a party for DeChambeau following his U.S. Open victory.)
Then, when it was clear that his penalty was going to stand, DeChambeau held everyone at the tournament “hostage” and didn’t announce that he would continue playing until late Friday night, delaying the release of third round tee times.
The 32-year-old DeChambeau is no stranger to controversy at this point in his career. He plays for a professional golf league that looks like it’s on its last leg and could very well transition into a full-time content creator (his YouTube channel has 2.7 million subscribers) if LIV Golf indeed folds.
“We’ll see if investors like it or not. I’m giving all I can to make it happen, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t happen,” DeChambeau said of LIV Golf’s future in May.
Call it his ego, or his confidence, but DeChambeau—who missed the cut at three majors this year heading into the British Open—definitely seems to think he could have won the Claret Jug even when in reality, he wasn’t really that close at all.
