Despite producing his best major performance of the 2026 season at The Open Championship, few were talking about the quality of Bryson DeChambeau’s play at Royal Birkdale after the event. 

Bryson DeChambeau‘s week in Southport was overshadowed by an incident following the second round where the two-time US Open champion was handed a two-shot penalty, after it was deemed that he had improved the lie around his ball ahead of his approach shot on the fifth hole. 

DeChambeau launched his drive into the thick rough and was somewhat fortunate to find his ball. It was subsequently deemed that he had made the task easier with how he stepped around the ball ahead of taking the shot. 

It was after the round, however, that the show really began. DeChambeau headed back out to the spot alongside rules officials and pleaded his case. 

Bryson DeChambeau continues to take little accountability for what happened at The Open Championship

It subsequently turned out that DeChambeau had not only threatened to withdraw from the tournament if he received a penalty, but he also wanted to call President Donald Trump in the hope that he could get the decision overturned. 

It was a terrible look for DeChambeau. While the ruling was contentious – some players did defend him – his behaviour was undoubtedly dreadful. 

DeChambeau is not afraid to poke fun at himself. He is certainly not afraid to criticise himself. But it is definitely a problem if he does not think that he did anything wrong by holding the final major championship of the season hostage.

Speaking on the Figuring Out podcast this past week, DeChambeau spoke about the reflection he did after being ridiculed for his reaction to being caught in the eye by a rope during a LIV Golf event in 2022.

“That’s what happens a lot of the time, people mistake that passion for being a child, and it’s not actually. There are people who do act childish for sure, but I think that passion of you getting really frustrated, really p—-d off and holding yourself to a professional level, those are two different things by the way,” he said.

“Holding yourself as a professional is what golfers should hold themselves to, and I admit how I handled that rope situation was not obviously how that should have gone down at all as a professional. But it was because I was so passionate about how poorly I was playing that that came out as a reaction, like why is everything bad happening to me? And yeah, I’m playing for a lot of money, I should have been more introspective on that. I wish I would have had better perspective like, look, you’re still playing for a lot, you can figure this out. Take it easy, you’re okay, Bryson. I should have had that.

“But at the same moment, I actually appreciate everyone that talks to me about that or says it or brings it up, because it humbles me, and if there’s one thing that people don’t realise about me, I think this is something that’s a good point too, it’s not that I like being humbled, I like having that perspective. It sucks getting humbled, but it needs to happen. In order for me to improve in life, I need to be humbled, there’s no question. Whether it’s me losing The Masters to Rory, or him losing to me at the US Open when I won, it’s so good for us.”

He was then asked whether he has ever felt arrogant in his career. After a long pause, DeChambeau answered.

“Probably, probably in certain situations where whether I was frustrated over a volunteer for ‘get out of the way’ or whatever. That’s arrogance, and that’s something that needs to be checked,” he said.

Alarm bells should be ringing following Bryson DeChambeau’s comments

There was an incident during The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2025 where DeChambeau was rude to a volunteer who showed him where his ball was on one hole. 

However, it does not feel like the 33-year-old is taking full accountability when he makes it sound as though an incident may have happened.

And it is troubling that DeChambeau seemingly does not view his behaviour at The Open Championship this year as arrogant.

He absolutely stole the show that week, to the point where people will one day probably remember the 2026 Open for DeChambeau’s antics ahead of Ryan Fox winning. 

He made sure that the world knew that he was unhappy with the decision by getting the rules officials out onto the course with him. And it is undoubtedly arrogance to believe that the most powerful person in the world would be prepared to save him from a penalty in a golf tournament.

DeChambeau distanced himself from those who apparently act like a child out on the course. And maybe he is right that he is unfairly judged at times.

However, the way he behaved at The Open was childish.

Not recognising that months later is potentially worse.