Donald Trump called Bryson DeChambeau's two-stroke penalty at The Open Championship a tough call after the American star inadvertently improved his lie at Royal Birkdale. Speaking on Friday, Trump addressed the second-round drama on the fifth hole, which led to DeChambeau being docked two strokes in the deep rough.
The penalty sparked a furious reaction from the LIV Golf star, who reportedly threatened to call Trump for assistance in having the ruling overturned. Asked if there was a precedent for acting as a fixer for athletes in sports disputes, Trump rejected the label and reframed his role.
"Well, it's not a fix. You mean being a judge?" Trump replied when questioned about his involvement in high-profile sports controversies. "You know, I thought the Bryson call was a tough call."
Trump added that he watched players searching for balls in the deep rough. "I saw him walking around. I see a lot of people there walking around looking for their ball in weeds. I've been watching that. So, I thought it was a tough call against him," Trump said.
Comparison to FIFA Intervention
Trump drew a comparison to his recent intervention regarding a red card issued to U.S. Men's National Team star Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, defending his decision to reach out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "I thought the red card was a very tough call, and it worked out brilliantly," Trump said.
"Look, supposing that they didn't let him play and we lost, everyone would have been angry, right? The way it was that they lost with their best player, now everyone's happy, including Belgium," Trump continued. "Of course, they lost their next game, so they're not that happy either, but it worked out great. Gianni did a good job in making that call. All I did, I asked for a review. I thought that call was not a good call."
Despite DeChambeau's frustration on the course and his threats to get the former president involved, R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon confirmed that Trump never reached out regarding the golf penalty. Darbon maintained that the ruling against DeChambeau was clear-cut from a rules perspective, emphasizing that officials acted strictly to uphold the integrity of the championship regardless of the player involved.
Player Reactions and Leaderboard Impact
In losing the dramatic argument with officials, DeChambeau toppled from one shot off the 36-hole lead on the second day to three back, before sliding further down the leaderboard on Sunday. Fellow golfers offered contrasting opinions on the controversy, with Scottie Scheffler insisting DeChambeau was not a cheat.
Rory McIlroy was scathing of his rival's antics. Speaking on Saturday, the world No 2 said: "I was up in the players' lounge watching it with a few other players and as soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other and we were like, 'That didn't seem right'. Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, it was pretty obvious for why."
McIlroy added: "I think a lot of it's performative. I think a lot of it is 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."
