In the past, Donald Trump called FIFA to intervene in a World Cup red card decision.

With Bryson DeChambeau hit with a two-stroke penalty at The Open Championship, the BBC asked R&A chief executive Mark Darbon if the U.S. President had intervened this time as well.

Darbon addressed the question during a BBC interview on July 19. DeChambeau had been assessed a two-stroke penalty after the second round at Royal Birkdale for inadvertently improving the area of his intended backswing on the fifth hole.

Per Sports Chosun's July 20 report, Darbon responded to the Trump question plainly. "I have not received a call yet," he said. "I will observe how the situation unfolds."

The question about Trump came up because of a recent incident. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, U.S. forward Folarin Balogun received a red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

President Donald Trump then called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and asked him to review the suspension. FIFA delayed the ban, which allowed Balogun to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium.

Since Bryson DeChambeau is known to have a close relationship with Trump, the BBC compared the two situations.

DeChambeau's score on the fifth hole was changed from bogey to triple bogey, dropping his round from 4-under 66 to 68 and moving him from solo second to tied fifth, three shots behind leader Lucas Herbert.

R&A executive director of governance Grant Moir confirmed the penalty applied "even when the action was accidental, as it was in Bryson's case."

DeChambeau disputed the ruling. His agent, Brett Falkoff, told reporters DeChambeau felt wrongly penalized and that the situation was "unfortunate."

The golfer even briefly threatened to withdraw before confirming after midnight that he would play Round 3, per Sports Chosun.

How the rest of the field reacted to Bryson DeChambeau

The penalty and DeChambeau's subsequent behavior drew strong reactions.

Rory McIlroy said after watching the footage, "The ruling was correct. I think most of his actions are a show. He has a strong desire for attention. Holding the tournament hostage and making players and officials wait is not a good look."

Nick Faldo was more direct, saying DeChambeau "has lost his mind." Marco Penz of England complained about the disruption to scheduling. "We were assigned a tee time after 11 p.m.," Penz said. "It was ridiculous."

Darbon acknowledged the human element.

"There was clearly an emotional element. I fully understand his feelings," he said, per Sports Chosun. "Regrettably, it was a very accurate decision under the rules. He wants to play well and win. We aimed to provide a fair assessment."

DeChambeau, entering the third round, had "nothing to say." He had entered the week in strong form. Rounds of 67 and 66 had him one shot off the lead before the penalty arrived.

The two-stroke addition dropped his two-round total from 7 under to 5 under, shifting him from solo second to tied fifth heading into the weekend.

What do you think about the DeChambeau penalty and the Trump question at The Open? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit