Bryson DeChambeau’s two-shot penalty turned a 66 into a 68, knocking him out of Saturday’s final pairing and reshaping The Open race.
Bryson DeChambeau’s charge at The Open Championship took a costly detour Friday when officials assessed him a two-stroke penalty for improving the conditions around his ball during the second round at Royal Birkdale.
The ruling changed DeChambeau’s score on the par-4 fifth hole from a bogey to a triple bogey.
Instead of signing for a 4-under 66 and earning a spot in Saturday’s final pairing, the two-time U.S. Open champion was credited with a 68 and dropped to 5-under for the tournament.
That left DeChambeau tied for fifth with Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim, three shots behind leader Lucas Herbert.
The disputed moment began after DeChambeau pushed his tee shot well right into a penalty area.
He elected to play the ball rather than take relief and spent time studying the difficult lie, making practice motions and moving around the vegetation before attempting his recovery shot.
DeChambeau eventually muscled the ball beyond the green and couldn’t save par.
What initially appeared to be his only bogey of the round became something far more damaging after officials reviewed the sequence.
The R&A determined that DeChambeau had moved or affected attached natural growth while preparing to hit, improving the area surrounding his intended stance or swing.
Under golf’s rules, a player can take reasonable steps to reach the ball and establish a stance, but must choose the least disruptive option available.
R&A governance executive Grant Moir later clarified that intent didn’t change the outcome.
The violation still applied even though officials believed DeChambeau’s actions were accidental.
DeChambeau learned about the ruling after completing his round. He then returned to the fifth hole with R&A representatives to examine the area and explain what happened.
The discussion lasted roughly 15 minutes, with DeChambeau animatedly defending his actions before the penalty was upheld.
The ruling spoiled an otherwise electric finish.
After the fifth-hole trouble, DeChambeau played the remainder of the course without another bogey.
He birdied Nos. 9, 11, 17 and 18, surging into what initially looked like a Saturday showdown with Herbert.
Instead, the penalty knocked him out of the final group and created additional separation near the top of The Open leaderboard.
DeChambeau remains firmly in contention, but Royal Birkdale has already delivered a brutal reminder ... At a major championship, one seemingly minor movement can cost two shots ... and potentially the Claret Jug.
