SMU Star Bryson DeChambeau Stung by Costly Open Championship Penalty

Bryson DeChambeau appeared ready to carry the SMU Mustangs brand into the final pairing at The Open Championship on Saturday. Then the rulebook delivered a two-shot haymaker.

The former SMU golf star was assessed a two-stroke penalty following Friday’s second round at Royal Birkdale, changing his score at the par-4 fifth from a bogey to a triple bogey.

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What initially looked like a blistering 4-under 66 became a 2-under 68, leaving DeChambeau at 5-under for the tournament and tied for fifth.

That’s still firmly inside the championship fight. But at a major, two shots can feel like two miles.

The R&A determined that DeChambeau improved the conditions surrounding his ball before attempting his second shot from trouble well right of the fairway.

Although officials acknowledged the action wasn’t intentional, Rule 8.1 doesn’t require malicious intent.

Players are permitted to take reasonable steps while establishing a stance, but they must avoid moving, bending or breaking growing natural objects beyond what’s considered necessary.

DeChambeau didn’t quietly accept the ruling and disappear into the clubhouse.

After being notified, he returned to the fifth hole with R&A officials and spent roughly 15 minutes examining the area and arguing his position.

The animated discussion didn’t change the outcome.

The sequence began when DeChambeau drove into a penalty area but elected to play the ball rather than take relief.

He moved around the difficult location, took practice swings and eventually hacked his ball beyond the green. He couldn’t save par, originally recording a bogey before the penalty transformed the hole into a costly triple.

In classic DeChambeau fashion, he answered with aggression.

The 2020 U.S. Open champion didn’t make another bogey and poured in birdies at Nos. 9, 11, 17 and 18.

That closing surge initially positioned him to join Lucas Herbert in Saturday’s final pairing.

Instead, the penalty dropped DeChambeau three strokes behind Herbert and into a tie with Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim.

For SMU fans, the ruling adds another dramatic chapter to DeChambeau’s unpredictable major-championship career.

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The Mustangs legend is still close enough to unleash one of his trademark weekend charges, but his margin for error has vanished.

Royal Birkdale already demands patience, imagination and precision. Now DeChambeau must conquer the course—and overcome a penalty that could haunt him if the Claret Jug is decided by a shot or two.