Windham Clark shares 3 keys to playing in the British Open Championship
Windham Clark shares three adjustments he is making to prepare for the British Open Championship and links golf.
Rory McIlroy wasn’t going to defend Bryson DeChambeau. After Saturday’s round, he opened his mouth to bury himself.
“I don’t particularly like him,” McIlroy said at the British Open on Saturday. “I think a lot of it is performative. I think it’s about getting attention.”
The trigger for McIlroy’s rant was the two-stroke penalty DeChambeau received the previous day for improving his backswing line in the deep rough at Royal Birkdale. Afterward, McIlroy said he was holding the British Open hostage because he argued for so long that players and volunteers had to stand around waiting for him.
McIlroy watched the whole thing on TV in the player lounge. He thought the penalty was deserved.
“I think there’s no question he’s improved his backswing line,” McIlroy said. “So whether it was careless or intentional, I don’t think it matters. I hope it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was definitely justified.”
What did Bryson DeChambeau do?
It happened on the fifth hole of Friday’s second round. DeChambeau hit the short par-4 hole into deep rough and moved his club between the tall grass behind the ball to set up his second shot. Under Rule 8.1, a player cannot improve the range of his intended swing, and the authorities ruled that that is exactly what he did.
The review was long. Officials chased DeChambeau back to the fifth hole for about 20 minutes and let him walk around the hole, but they were unable to change the outcome and DeChambeau was caught on camera arguing with his hands flying. My score, which I thought was 66, turned out to be 68. He fell to 5 under par, three points behind leader Lucas Herbert.
Word broke Friday night that DeChambeau neglected his media duties and told officials he might not play at all.
no love lost
When McIlroy says he doesn’t particularly like DeChambeau, that’s an understatement. He was one of the loudest voices when DeChambeau left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, and the two have continued to attack each other ever since.
At the Masters earlier this year, DeChambeau and McIlroy played the final round together. DeChambeau complained that McIlroy didn’t say anything to him.
“I’m not trying to be his buddy,” McIlroy said at the time.
Where to watch the British Open in 2026
The Open Championship will be broadcast exclusively on the NBC family of networks, including streaming on USA Network, Golf Channel and Peacock. The daily TV program schedule is as follows:
Saturday, July 18th Game 3
July 19th (Sunday) Final round
British Open tea time
Get the latest tee times and groups for The British Open Championship 2026 here.
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