Golfer DeChambeau Threatened To Call Trump If Controversial Penalty Wasn’t Overruled, Reports Say

22 hours ago 8

Topline

Professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau reportedly threatened to call President Donald Trump and ask him to intervene in overturning a penalty he was given at The Open Championship in England that knocked him down the leader board.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Bryson DeChambeau at the 2025 Ryder Cup.

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Key Facts

DeChambeau, who was given a two-stroke penalty for flattening grass behind his ball in thick rough on an early hole in The Open’s second round, loudly protested the decision and threatened to call Trump, his close personal friend, if the penalty wasn’t overturned, several British media outlets reported Monday.

The threat was reportedly part of DeChambeau’s furious argument against the penalty that knocked him out of second place, and included a visit to the scene of the incident with the tournament organizer’s head of governance and a senior referee.

While there’s no evidence he called Trump, and tournament officials said they never heard from the president, DeChambeau’s threat comes after Trump successfully lobbied FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the suspension of American play Folarin Balogun after he was given a red card (the suspension was subsequently overturned).

DeChambeau’s penalty, which became the biggest story out of this year’s Open, wasn’t retracted and he ultimately finished 14th, his best major tournament finish so far this year.

Key background

On the par-4 fifth hole of The Open on Friday, DeChambeau’s drive left his ball in thick rough with a difficult recovery shot. As he assessed the ball, television footage showed he repeatedly stepped on grass and shuffled his feet behind the ball, flattening the terrain in the area where his backswing would pass. Officials later said he’d unintentionally improved the "conditions affecting the stroke" by creating a clearer swing path, and gave him a two-shot penalty, turning the hole from a bogey 5 into a triple-bogey 7. The penalty changed his second-round score from 66 to 68, and dropped him from one shot off the lead to three back.

BIG NUMBER

Two hours. After it became clear the penalty wouldn’t be overturned, that’s how long DeChambeau left the media and his fellow golfers waiting before announcing he would continue in the tournament. His procrastination delayed the release of third-round tee times until nearly 11 p.m., and he didn’t announce he’d keep playing until almost midnight.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

"Yeah, look, I won't pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I'm not particularly fond of him,” DeChambeau’s rival Rory McIlroy said on Friday. “I think a lot of it's performative. I think a lot of it's 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.”

TANGENT

DeChambeau has a longstanding friendship with Trump that dates back to early in his career. In 2020, Trump’s son Eric Trump hosted a party for DeChambeau at the Trump National Golf Club following his victory in the U.S. Open. DeChambeau and Trump have played rounds together at Trump-owned courses and their relationship became especially visible in 2024, when they filmed themselves for the viral "Break 50" YouTube golf challenge at Trump National in Bedminster. The video has 17 million views. DeChambeau has described Trump as a friend and the president has repeatedly complimented the golfer’s talent and personality. DeChambeau endorsed Trump during the 2024 presidential election cycle and now serves on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

FORBES VALUATION

DeChambeau, 32, is ranked by Forbes as the fourth highest-paid golfer in the world with an estimated $52 million earned last year. He's playing for and captaining a team in the floundering LIV Golf league, but his contract is nearing expiration and he's suggested he'll transition to being a full-time content creator if an agreement cannot be reached. His YouTube channel boasts 2.7 million subscribers and his videos golfing with Adam Sandler and Stephen Curry have gone viral.