Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Jul 16, 2026; Southport, ENG; Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler interact as they walk the 13th fairway during the first round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is taking the high road regarding Bryson DeChambeau‘s controversial two-stroke penalty at the British Open at Royal Birkdale … at least for the time being.
Scheffler was paired with DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton for the opening two rounds of the tournament and had a firsthand view of the incident on the fifth hole.
Despite that fact, Scheffler was hesitant to make a definitive comment when asked about the incident following the third round on Saturday, in which Scheffler shot an even-par 70.
“I was playing with him yesterday. I don’t really have a ton to say on it,” Scheffler stated. “Actually, I do have a ton to say; I haven’t decided exactly what I want to say publicly yet.
“I do have some thoughts. I just — I don’t really feel like now is the time or place for me to comment. We’re in the middle of a tournament, and I’m focused on what I need to do.
“I need to go out tomorrow and shoot a low round. I’m not really going to expand on it too much.
“It’s just a tough situation, I think.
“Like I said, I have a decent amount of thoughts, but probably nothing that I’m concerned with right now.” “Yeah, just feel like it’s not a road I want to go down today. I have a tournament to focus on, and I’m going to go hit a few balls and hit a few putts. It’s my job to go out there and shoot a low round tomorrow. Anything outside of that is outside my control.”
Rory McIlroy Took A FAR Different Stance Than Scottie Scheffler
While Scheffler took the diplomatic approach to DeChambeau’s penalty and ensuing threats to withdraw from the tournament, that certainly wasn’t the way Rory McIlroy felt.
McIlroy, who is never one to hold his tongue if he feels he has something, was staunchly opposed to DeChambeau’s behavior.
“I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing. Again, it’s like, whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don’t think it matters,” he said. “Hopefully it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure.
“…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.”
So, which approach do you prefer? Should Scheffler have been more outspoken, or is McIlroy speaking out of turn? Let us know in the comments below!