Bryson DeChambeau’s late-night penalty on Friday is still the talk of the 2026 Open Championship. The proof is Sam Burns’ press conference Saturday evening at Royal Birkdale.
Burns is our Open leader heading into the final round. His 65 on Saturday gave him a two-shot lead, but the topic of DeChambeau’s controversial penalty still came up in his post-round scrum with reporters.
However, rather than echoing public criticism from the likes of Rory McIlroy and Brandel Chamblee, Burns shared a very different opinion. The Open leader instead announced his support for DeChambeau, called the way the penalty went down “unfortunate” and argued there wasn’t enough “evidence” to charge Bryson two shots.
Sam Burns on Bryson Open penalty: ‘I didn’t feel like maybe there was enough evidence for him to deserve a penalty’
It’s been a wild week for Burns. The five-time PGA Tour winner is on the verge of capturing his first major title on Sunday. That’s after he shot a 73 in Thursday’s opening round.
Not only that, but the fact that Burns is here at all is a minor miracle. He expected to be welcoming his second child into the world this week. But the baby came early, and Burns’ wife, Caroline, encouraged him to play.
He tied the major scoring record with a 62 on Friday to launch into contention, before taking the lead on Saturday.
Ironically, because DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty after Round 2, he ended up being paired with Burns in Round 3, with both players tied at five under.
“I thought the fans were very supportive of Bryson today,” Burns said of the experience playing alongside Bryson the first round after his penalty drama.
Though Burns said the two didn’t discuss Bryson’s penalty, he did offer his own opinion on the matter, and it flies in the face of the majority of opinions we’ve heard from other figures in the game: he’s got Bryson’s back and doesn’t think he deserved a penalty.
“In my personal opinion, I honestly feel bad for Bryson in the situation that he was in,” Burns said Saturday night. “From my perspective, I didn’t feel like maybe there was enough evidence for him to deserve a penalty there.”
It wasn’t only the lack of evidence that bothered Burns, though. He also called it “unfortunate” that the R&A hit Bryson with a penalty after his round, and long after the incident occurred on the 5th hole hours earlier.
“I feel bad for him. I think he played an incredible round of golf late yesterday, and it’s unfortunate to have something kind of like that where they come in after your round and tell you you’re being docked two shots,” Burns said.
He continued: “But props to him. He came out and played a really nice round of golf today, and that takes a lot of grit to be able to come out and do that. So I was impressed.”
DeChambeau ended up with a 69 on Saturday and will head into the final round four shots off Burns’ lead.
Scottie Scheffler has ‘a ton to say’ on Bryson penalty, but stays silent
Burns’ support of Bryson comes when other figures have publicly criticized the two-time U.S. Open champ over his penalty on Friday, and for his behavior when disputing the ruling with the R&A.
Rory McIlroy said he wasn’t “particularly fond” of DeChambeau. McIlroy also accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament “hostage” Friday night, and he called the R&A’s ruling “obvious.”
Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said DeChambeau’s behavior was “childish” and “immature.”
So, what then does World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler think, the defending champion who was playing with Bryson when the penalty incident went down?
On Saturday night after his own third-round 70, Scheffler revealed that he had “a ton to say on” DeChambeau’s penalty. But then he refused to reveal those opinions.
“I was playing with him yesterday. I don’t really have a ton to say on it. Actually, I do have a ton to say. I haven’t decided exactly what I want to say publicly yet,” Scheffler told reporters Saturday night at Royal Birkdale.
Scheffler then tried to explain his decision to stay silent, saying the eve of the Open Championship final round wasn’t the right “time or place” to share his thoughts.
“I do have some thoughts. I just — I don’t really feel like now is the time or place for me to comment,” Scheffler said. “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.”
He continued: “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.”
We’ll have to wait and see if Scheffler is feeling more comfortable speaking on the topic Sunday night.
