Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau's years-long feud as Open behaviour called out

Rory McIlroy's brutal putdown of Bryson DeChambeau's behaviour should come as no surprise given the festering animosity between the pair. The Masters champion blasted the American in the wake of the two-stroke penalty he incurred following his second round at The Open Championship.

DeChambeau was punished for a rule breach on the fifth hole at Royal Birkdale but didn't take the sanction well. After being notified after his round, he was ordered to be driven out to the scene of the crime. He was seen remonstrating with R&Q officials, who stood firm on the punishment that dropped him from one shot to three shots off the lead at the halfway stage. The saga delayed publication of the third-round tee times until late at night, drawing criticism from several players, including McIlroy, who accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament "hostage." He also called his antics "performative" and cuttingly dropped in that he was "not particularly fond" of the LIV Golf star.

It's well known that the pair are not friends or even like each other. At the 2024 US Open, a late collapse from McIlroy handed DeChambeau the opportunity to swoop in and claim the title. A dejected McIlroy departed the course without congratulating his rival, although he later did so on social media.

Later that year, both men featured in the Showdown event in Las Vegas, where McIlroy made his intentions abundantly clear, stating: "I'd like to go up against Bryson and try to get him back for what he did to me at the US Open."

DeChambeau's retort - "Well, to be fair, you kinda did it to yourself" - did not sit well with McIlroy, who is thought to have considered it cruel. Then, at last year's Masters, McIlroy gave DeChambeau the silent treatment as he concentrated on finally securing the Green Jacket.

DeChambeau, whose challenge faded down the back nine, was questioned about his final-round playing partner. He said: "No idea, he didn't talk to me once all day."

McIlroy fired back, saying: "I don't know what he was expecting. We're trying to win the Masters. I'm not going to try to be his best mate out there."

This latest row originated from DeChambeau's penalty for improving the area of his backswing by treading on a large clump of high grass. The widespread consensus is that R&A officials were right in slapping him with a two-stroke penalty.

McIlroy was amongst those who felt the penalty was warranted. He said: "I was watching it live. I was up in the players' lounge watching it with a few other players and 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.'

"Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials it was pretty obvious for why. I think there's no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing.

"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."

Heading into the final round, DeChambeau finds himself tied for sixth place on six under par, four shots adrift of leader Sam Burns. McIlroy, sitting eight shots off the pace on two under, appears to have little chance of mounting a challenge.