The drama at Royal Birkdale just crossed over from the golf course into mainstream pop culture, and it is absolute cinema.
Bryson DeChambeau went from second place at The Open Championship to threatening a total tournament boycott after a grueling two-stroke rules penalty on Friday. But while the golfing world is fiercely debating whether the R&A rules chief Grant Moir was too harsh on DeChambeau for accidentally stomping down long grass on the fifth hole, pop superstar Miley Cyrus has seen enough.
When asked by reporters about the escalating tension, the “Flowers” singer didn’t mince words, calling the 2024 U.S. Open champion’s reaction “a bit of a joke.”
The Fiasco That Sparked the Call-Out
For context, DeChambeau’s Friday round flipped on its head in a matter of 60 minutes. After carding a brilliant 4-under 66 to sit just one shot off the lead, he was slapped with a retrospective two-shot penalty for “inadvertently improving the area of his intended backswing.”
What followed was a heated, 10-minute on-course recreation of the shot, with an incredulous DeChambeau allegedly threatening, “I’m not gonna play tomorrow,” before muttering that R&A officials were “crooks” near the scorers’ tent. Though he later confirmed via social media that he would remain in the tournament, his meltdown has become the talking point of the sports world.
Enter Miley Cyrus.
“We All Have Rules” — Miley Weighs In
Cyrus, known for her candid and unfiltered personality, was asked about the sporting controversy during a press appearance. Rather than giving a diplomatic pass, she took direct aim at DeChambeau’s “diva” antics.
“Honestly, it’s a bit of a joke,” Cyrus said with a chuckle. “I mean, I get it, high stakes, millions of dollars, the Claret Jug. But crying on the course and calling the refs ‘crooks’ because you stepped on some grass? Come on. If I walked off stage or threatened to cancel a stadium tour every time tech crew called a foul on my set, I’d be labeled an absolute nightmare.”
Cyrus didn’t stop there, highlighting the privilege she perceives in the sport.
“We all have rules we have to play by, whether you’re singing pop songs or hitting a little white ball. Watching a grown man throw a temper tantrum and threaten to take his ball and go home because things didn’t go his way? It’s just bad vibes. Play the game, accept the hit, and prove them wrong on the scoreboard. That’s what a real rockstar does.”
Adding Fuel to the Fire
Cyrus’s comments add another layer of pressure to a golfer who was already facing immense scrutiny. DeChambeau entered The Open having missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the U.S. Open earlier this year. With his LIV Golf league facing a turbulent future after reports that Saudi Arabia’s PIF might pull funding post-2026, DeChambeau has been fighting to prove he can still compete at the highest level.
Golfing legend Nick Faldo had already lit DeChambeau up before the tournament, claiming he had “zero clue” how to play links golf.
Now, tied for fifth and sitting three shots back of leader Lucas Herbert, DeChambeau has to block out not only the ghost of the fifth-hole penalty and the criticism of golf legends, but also the mocking commentary of one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.
DeChambeau is still very much in contention to win his first Claret Jug come Sunday night. But as he tees off for Round 3, the world—and apparently Miley Cyrus—will be watching closely to see if he plays like a champion, or lets the pressure turn him into the punchline of the weekend.
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