MAGA pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau begged for Donald Trump to step in and get him off the hook for a penalty.
The 32-year-old asked for the president to be called in to a disagreement he had with officials over a two-point penalty he was handed for “inadvertently improving his lie” on the fifth hole of his second round at this year’s Open Championship.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox stormed to victory at the expense of some of golf’s biggest stars at the 154th Open at the U.K.’s Royal Birkdale Golf Club, but not before Trumpy DeChambeau threw a temper tantrum and was allowed to continue discussions with officials before the ruling was finalized.
DeChambeau’s 30-minute fight with officials was reported by golf writer and course architect Geoff Shackelford, who wrote in his Substack, The Quadrilateral, that during Friday’s play DeChambeau had demanded that Trump be brought into the conversation to fight his case.
The Times also reports that DeChambeau said he would call Trump personally, although the newspaper reports he was ultimately left without the presidential intervention he sought.
He was ultimately given a two-stroke penalty, lowering his score from 66 to 68, but by that time had already been given the unusual opportunity of returning to the scene of the lie with officials to discuss the matter further, according to The Quadrilateral.
However, his request for Trump was rejected by officials, according to the Substack.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and DeChambeau’s representatives for comment.
The fight caused a delay in proceedings, with golfers who had teed off later unable to sign off on their scorecards because a backlog had formed.
DeChambeau eventually signed his card, writing on X afterward: “Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. On to the weekend.”
DeChambeau’s actions appeared to annoy former world number one Rory McIlroy, who said: “To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”
Mark Darbon, chief executive of the governing body Royal and Ancient, was later asked by BBC 5 Live whether he had received a call from Trump, to which he said, “No. I have not received a call from President Trump, and we’ll see what happens from here.”
DeChambeau’s relationship with Trump is well-documented, having celebrated his 2024 Open win with the family, and previously represented Trump Golf.
A precedent for Trump to weigh into sporting debacles was set during this year’s World Cup, which saw the 80-year-old put in a special request to governing body FIFA, asking that it review a suspension for the U.S.’s star striker Folarin Balogun.
Soon after, the suspension was lifted for a year in an unprecedented move that drew outrage from the soccer world.
It also opened up a moment of painful comeuppance for the U.S. when the team received a brutal beatdown at the hands of Belgium, whose players mocked their opponents by doing Trump’s awkward arm dance following their victory. Balogun had the best seat in the house, getting to watch from the field.
