McIlroy accuses DeChambeau of trying to 'hold the tournament hostage' at British Open

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Rory McIlroy saved one of his best shots at the British Open on Saturday for Bryson DeChambeau.

The world No. 2 didn’t hold back when asked for his thoughts on DeChambeau’s conduct late Friday, when the American was involved in a lengthy, heated post-round exchange with rules officials as they reviewed whether he had inadvertently improved the path of his swing on the fifth hole.

DeChambeau was penalized two shots and there were doubts over whether he would show up for the weekend. The extraordinary late-evening scenes also delayed the release of the tee times for Saturday’s third round.

“I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson,” McIlroy told reporters after shooting a 1-under 69 in the third round. “I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it is performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention."

“To hold the tournament hostage like that,” McIlroy continued, “and to have all of us — players, volunteers, everyone — waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”

McIlroy said he watched the initial incident live with a few other players and felt DeChambeau's actions “didn’t seem right.”

“I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing,” McIlroy said. “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.”

Other players were more diplomatic when discussing the incident.

“If I was in that position, I’d just be very careful where I’m standing and how I get into the ball and make sure I don’t improve my lie," said English player Marco Penge, who was among the golfers to post on X late Friday about his frustrations about the tee times being published so late. “Yeah, I would never want anyone to think I was doing that. That’s how I would deal with it.”

Former Open champion Xander Schauffele said DeChambeau could have been given “the benefit of the doubt.”

“He said he didn’t do it intentionally and it’s unfortunate that he got penalized because he was playing incredibly well and obviously he’s still playing incredibly well,” Schauffele said, “so he’s obviously going to have something to prove these next two days.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Bryson DeChambeau of the United States looks down the 9th fairway from the tee as he prepares to play during the second day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Bryson DeChambeau of the United States reacts after getting a birdie on the 6th green during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after missing a putt on the 6th green during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his tee shot on the 7th hole during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

WASHINGTON (AP) — CJ Abrams hit a solo home run and drove in three for the Washington Nationals in a 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday afternoon.

Abrams was a part of a four-run third inning when he hit an RBI double. Daylen Lile hit a triple to score two more runs. Abrams added his solo shot in the fifth, going 390 feet to right-center field for his 25th home run of the year. He added a single in the seventh for his third hit of the game to finish one short of the cycle.

Starting pitcher Foster Griffin (12-2) threw 108 pitches over 6 2/3 innings. He gave up six hits and finished with three earned runs, walking one and striking out two.

Clayton Beeter picked up his ninth save, throwing six strikes in the final inning.

Gabriel Moreno got the Diamondbacks on the board in the third inning with a two-run single. James McCann added an RBI single for Arizona's third run.

Mitch Bratt (0-1) pitched five innings for Arizona. He gave up seven hits and walked five while striking out three.

LHP Kohl Drake (0-0, 1.80 ERA) will pitch for the Diamondbacks on Sunday in his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Reno on July 21. RHP Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.60) will start for the Nationals.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Washington Nationals' Daylen Lile gestures at third base after hitting a triple during the third inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno hits a single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams throws to first base but cannot get Arizona Diamondbacks' Ryan Waldschmidt who was safe with a single during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams fields a ground ball ht by Arizona Diamondbacks' Ryan Waldschmidt for a single during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)