Sam Burns backed Bryson DeChambeau on Saturday after the two-stroke penalty that altered the picture at the 2026 Open Championship, saying he felt bad for him and did not think there was enough evidence for the ruling. Burns, who shot a 65 and took the lead into the final round, said it was unfortunate to learn after the round that DeChambeau had been docked two shots.
The penalty mattered because it came after Round 2 and changed the standings immediately: DeChambeau, a five-time PGA Tour winner and two-time U.S. Open champ, moved into Sunday four shots behind Burns after shooting a 69 on Saturday. Burns was paired with him in Round 3 because of the penalty, and his defense gave the dispute a second life while the competition was still unfolding.
Burns had plenty of reason to care about the round, too. He opened with a 73 on Thursday, then fired a 62 on Friday and followed with another strong round on Saturday, even as the conversation around him shifted from scorecards to the ruling itself. He said DeChambeau “played an incredible round of golf late yesterday,” and added that it took “a lot of grit” to come back and perform the way he did.
What made the penalty so combustible was not only the timing, but the split in reaction around it. Rory McIlroy said he was not particularly fond of DeChambeau, accused him of holding the tournament hostage on Friday night and called the R&A’s ruling obvious. Brandel Chamblee went further, calling DeChambeau’s behavior childish and immature. Burns stood on the other side of that divide, offering support when the debate was already moving beyond the course.
The missing piece is still the most important one: what happened on the 5th hole that led to the penalty. The R&A told DeChambeau after his round that he would lose two strokes, long after the moment in question, and that delay is now part of why the ruling has become as much a public argument as a scoring decision. Burns will go into the final round leading by two shots, but the controversy around DeChambeau is not going away with the leaderboard.
