Bryson DeChambeau's late-night penalty Friday is the talk of the town at the 2026 Open Championship. Proof is Sam Burns' press conference on Saturday evening at Royal Birkdale.
Burns is our open leader heading into the final round. His 65 on Saturday gave him two goals, but the topic of DeChambeau's controversial penalty still came up in his post-round scrum with reporters.
However, instead of echoing public criticism from the likes of Rory McIlroy and Brandel Chamblee, Burns shared a very different view. The Open leader instead announced his support for DeChambeau, calling the verdict “unfortunate” and saying there wasn't enough “evidence” to charge Bryson two goals.
Sam Burns on Bryson Open penalty: 'I didn't feel there was enough evidence that he should be punished'
It's been a wild week for Burns. The five-time PGA Tour winner is on course to claim 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. She expected that this week she would be welcoming her second child into the world. But the baby came soon, and Burns' wife, Caroline, encouraged him to play.
He tied a career-high 62 goals on Friday to enter contention, before taking the lead on Saturday.
Ironically, because DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty after Round 2, he was paired with Burns in Round 3, with both players tied at five under.
“I thought the fans were really supportive of Bryson today,” Burns said of the experience of playing next to Bryson in the first round after his penalty game.
Although Burns said the two didn't discuss Bryson's penalty, he expressed his own opinion on the matter, and he contradicts most of the opinions we've heard from other people in the game: he's got Bryson's back and doesn't think he deserved the penalty.
“From my perspective, I feel bad for Bryson in the situation he was in,” Burns said Saturday night. “In my opinion, I didn't feel like there was enough evidence that he should be punished there.”
It wasn't just the lack of evidence that bothered Burns, however. He also called it “unfortunate” that the R&A slapped Bryson with a penalty after his round, and after so long the incident happened 5 hours ago.
“I feel bad for him. I think he played an amazing round of golf last night, and it's unfortunate to have something like that when they come after your round and tell you you've been shot twice,” Burns said.
He added: “But props to him. He went out and played some really good golf today, and that takes courage to go out and do that. So I'm impressed.”
DeChambeau finished with a 69 on Saturday and will enter the final round four shots ahead of Burns.
Scottie Scheffler has 'a lot to say' on Bryson's fine, but remains silent
Burns' support for Bryson comes as some figures publicly criticized the two-time US Open champion for his punishment on Friday, and for his conduct in challenging the decision with the R&A.
Rory McIlroy said he “doesn't like” DeChambeau. McIlroy also accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament “hostage” on Friday night, and called the R&A's decision “obvious.”
Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee called DeChambeau's behavior “childish” and “immature.”
Therefore, the World No. 1 What was Scottie Scheffler thinking, the defending champion who was playing with Bryson when the penalty incident went down?
On Saturday night after his third game of the 70th round, Scheffler said he had “a ton to say” about DeChambeau's penalty. But then he refused to express those views.
“I was playing with him yesterday. I don't have a tone to say. Actually, I have a lot to say. I still haven't decided what I want to say publicly,” Scheffler told reporters Saturday night at Royal Birkdale.
Scheffler then tried to explain his decision to remain silent, saying the day before the Open Championship finals was not the “right time or place” to share his thoughts.
“I have thoughts. I just – I don't feel like now is the time or place to comment,” Scheffler said. “We're in the middle of the tournament, I'm focused on what I have to do, I need to go out tomorrow and shoot a low round, I won't add too much to it.”
He continued: “It's just a tough situation, I guess. Like I said, I have good thoughts, but I'm probably not worried about anything right now. Yeah, I feel like it's not the way I want to go down today. I've got 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 tomorrow and hit something lower than that.
We'll have to wait and see if Scheffler feels more comfortable talking about the topic Sunday night.
