Bryson DeChambeau was left frustrated after a dramatic end to his second round at The Open Championship on Friday. The American had climbed to solo second after shooting a 4-under 66 at Royal Birkdale, finishing just one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert. But his position changed soon after he signed his scorecard. Tournament officials reviewed an incident from the fifth hole and handed him a two-shot penalty for improving the area of his intended backswing. The ruling dropped him to tied fifth at 5-under, three shots behind Herbert, and sparked a heated exchange that even raised doubts over whether he would return for Saturday’s third round.
Bryson DeChambeau penalized after fifth-hole rules review
DeChambeau’s round appeared to be one of the biggest stories of the day after he closed with a birdie on the 18th to reach 7-under for the championship. However, shortly after leaving the course, R&A officials stopped him over a possible rules breach from the fifth hole.Earlier in the round, DeChambeau had driven his ball into deep rough beside the trees. While walking toward the ball, officials later decided that he had accidentally improved the area of his intended backswing by stepping on the long grass.After reviewing the incident, R&A rules chief Grant Moir confirmed the decision.“Bryson has been penalized two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of his intended backswing on the fifth hole.”Moir also explained why intent did not matter under the Rules of Golf.“As it was in Bryson’s case,” anything that gives a “potential advantage” warrants a penalty.The penalty changed DeChambeau’s score on the fifth hole from a bogey to a triple-bogey 7. Instead of signing for a 4-under 66, his official score became a 2-under 68, leaving him tied for fifth.
Bryson DeChambeau questions ruling, unsure about Round 3 appearance
Before the penalty became official, DeChambeau returned to the fifth hole with rules officials and recreated the shot while arguing his case. According to reports, the discussion lasted around 10 minutes.As he walked away, DeChambeau was heard saying, “I’m not gonna play tomorrow.” Later, near the scoring area, he also called the officials “crooks.”According to Golf Channel reporter Todd Lewis, DeChambeau planned to decide on Saturday morning whether he would tee it up for the third round.After leaving the scoring tent, he briefly addressed reporters but avoided discussing the ruling.“I’m going to hit some golf balls.”The penalty came during DeChambeau’s strongest major performance of the season. He had missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, failing to record a single under-par round across those tournaments. His opening 67 at Royal Birkdale had already ended that run, and Friday’s performance initially looked like it had put him in the final pairing.Instead, the late ruling reshaped the leaderboard and left one of the tournament favourites facing an uncertain Saturday despite remaining only three shots behind Lucas Herbert.
