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.”

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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)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca offered no assurances Friday about the future of Rodri at the club and said fellow midfielder Tijjani Reijnders was set to leave after just one season.

Rodri was welcomed with what Maresca said was a “big hug” when he returned to City on Friday following an extended break after helping Spain win the World Cup last month and then undergoing minor back surgery.

Asked whether he expected the former Ballon d’Or winner to stay at City amid reported interest from Barcelona, Maresca said “the transfer window is open — we can buy players, we can sell players. Anything can happen.”

One thing is for sure: Rodri will not be playing in Sunday’s Community Shield — the curtain-raiser to the English soccer season between the winners of last season’s Premier League and FA Cup — against Arsenal as he follows a rehabilitation program after surgery.

How Maresca overhauls City’s midfield after the departure of stalwart Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid and a possible move for Rodri has been the subject of much speculation.

On whether he would be interested in signing Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea — where Maresca used to be coach — the Italian said “it’s a player from another club. I don’t think it’s correct to speak about other players.”

Maresca was more open about Reijnders, who failed to establish himself as a regular for City after joining from AC Milan in last year’s offseason.

Widespread reports in the British media say the Netherlands midfielder is on his way to Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah and Maresca said “(The transfer of) Tijjani is not done officially, we’ll see in the next hours.”

Maresca added Reijnders was “already convinced” about leaving City, comparing the situation to goalkeeper James Trafford, who joined Leeds this summer to get more playing opportunities.

“They all work every day, they all do sessions every day, and then at the end of the week, they want to all play a game — when they don’t play, they struggle to understand,” Maresca said.

“I can understand that. After one season, some of them, they want to play a little bit more. So it’s a normal situation.”

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Manchester City's Tijjani Reijnders, second left, celebrates with teammate Mateo Kovacic after scoring the goal against Team K-league during a friendly soccer match in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Manchester City's coach Enzo Maresca reacts after a pre-season friendly match between Manchester City and Inter Milan for the Hong Kong Football Festival in Hong Kong on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)