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Bryson DeChambeau took a controversial two-stroke penalty at the Open last week, and President Donald Trump said it was a “difficult decision.”
DeChambeau reportedly wanted to ask Trump for help after the LIV Golf star became involved in a heated exchange with rules officials at The Open. The president did not intervene, but sympathized with DeChambeau when asked about it this week.
“I thought the Bryson call was a difficult decision,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday.
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President Donald Trump speaks at Wheeler High School on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 in Marietta, Georgia. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
“I saw him walking. I see a lot of people walking around looking for his ball in the brush. He’s fine. But I’ve been watching that, so, you know, I thought it was a tough call against him.”
On the fifth hole during DeChambeau’s second round at The Open, he appeared to be walking through the brush, trampling the rough terrain behind him and causing it to lay flat for his swing off the rough terrain. After the round, he returned to the tall fescue and pleaded his case to the rules officials, but to no avail.
After engaging with FIFA to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card for the USMNT’s round of 16 match against Belgium, and now with DeChambeau closing in, Trump was asked if there was a precedent for someone in his position becoming an athlete’s fixer.
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Bryson DeChambeau of the United States talks to a rules office before playing his shot on the 18th hole during day three of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (Peter Morrison/AP)
“Well, it’s not a fix. You mean being a judge,” Trump said.
Trump compared DeChambeau’s situation to Balgoun’s and said the red card suspended by FIFA worked “brilliantly.”
“I thought the red card was a very difficult decision, and it worked out brilliantly. Look, assuming they didn’t let him play and we lost, everyone would have been angry, right? The way they lost with their best player. Now everyone is happy, including Belgium. Of course, they lost the next game, so they might not be so happy either.
“But it worked out very well. (Gianni Infantino) did a good job of making that decision. The only thing I did was ask for a review. I thought that decision was not a good decision.”
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Bryson DeChambeau of the United States rides in a buggy with a rules official after the second round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, on July 17, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Reuters)
While Balogun was able to play, the USMNT lost 4-1 to Belgium, ending their World Cup run in the round of 16.
As for DeChambeau, he remained in the hunt despite the two-stroke penalty until he made triple bogey on the 11th hole of the final round on Sunday, effectively putting him out of contention.
DeChambeau finished 4 under par for The Open, tied for 14th. The Open was the only major championship in which DeChambeau made the cut this season.
