Bryson DeChambeau wanted Donald Trump to help remove penalty at The Open after World Cup controversy

Bryson DeChambeau asked for Donald Trump to make a call to remove his controversial penalty at The Open.

On Sunday, New Zealand's Ryan Fox claimed the famous Claret Jug after winning The 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport.

The 39-year-old stood firm amid competition from some of the biggest names to win the final major of the year with a final score of 10-under-par.

Among the star players in contention at Royal Birkdale was America's DeChambeau who put an end to his dismal record at majors this year and made the cut for the first time in 2026.

DeChambeau began his final round on Sunday at six-under-par placing him just four shots behind then-leader Sam Burns.

The popular American golfer would have actually been even closer to the leaders on Sunday if not for him being handed a two-shot penalty after what was undoubtedly the most controversial moment of The Open Championship this year.

After landing in the rough on the fifth hole during his second round at Royal Birkdale, DeChambeau was punished for “inadvertently improving his lie", a decision that infuriated the 32-year-old who even threatened to withdraw ahead of the weekend.

But before making his decision regarding pulling out of The Open, DeChambeau reportedly requested US President Trump got involved to try and get his penalty chalked off.

According to journalist and course architect Geoff Shackelford, during discussions with the R&A about his penalty, DeChambeau asked for Trump to get involved, following the President's recent interventions in various sporting events.

During the World Cup this summer, Trump successfully oversaw the suspension of US international Folarin Balogun's red card after making a call to FIFA President and close ally Gianni Infantino.

Thankfully, Trump, an avid golf fan, did not make any attempt to aid DeChambeau, with R&A chief executive Mark Darbon confirming that he had not heard from Trump regarding the penalty.

“No. I have not received a call from president Trump, and we’ll see what happens from here," Darbon said.

Despite his threats to pull out of The Open, DeChambeau did go on to play in the third and fourth rounds at Royal Birkdale and ultimately finished four-under-par, leaving him tied 14th in the final standings.

READ MORE: The Open prize money: Here's how much Ryan Fox earned at Royal Birkdale

Rory McIlroy slams Bryson DeChambeau over penalty controversy at The Open

In recent years, it's become increasingly clear that Rory McIlroy and DeChambeau are not friends, with the two regularly clashing on and off the course.

It therefore came as no surprise that McIlroy was asked about his rivals behaviour following the confirmation of his penalty ahead of the weekend rounds at Royal Birkdale.

And it's safe to say that the 2026 Masters Champion wasn't at all impressed, as he admitted he 'wasn't fond' of DeChambeau, who he accused of holding the event 'hostage' over his threats to pull out.

"I won't pretend to be up here and defend Bryson," McIlroy told reporters. "I'm not particularly fond of him. 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."

Had DeChambeau pulled out, it would have forced the R&A to alter the tee times and overall schedule for the final rounds, meaning his indecision impacted all of his peers, despite McIlroy arguing that the penalty was clearly justified.

"As soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other, and we were like, that didn't seem right," McIlroy added.

"Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all [thought] it was pretty obvious for why.

"Yeah, I think there's no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing.

"Again, it's like, whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don't think it matters. Hopefully it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure."

A slightly disappointing weekend for McIlroy saw him finish tied 40th with a final score of one-under-par.