Bryson DeChambeau received a two-stroke penalty during the Open Championship for a rules violation that occurred on the fifth hole of the second round. The penalty was confirmed by an R&A official on Friday, July 17, following a discussion between DeChambeau and tournament officials.
The incident took place after DeChambeau completed his round at Royal Birkdale, where he had initially appeared to be in second place, one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert. The penalty, however, adjusted his score, dropping him to five-under for the tournament and into a tie for fifth alongside Si Woo Kim and Sam Burns.
The Rules Infraction
The violation stemmed from DeChambeau’s actions after his drive on the fifth hole landed in tall fescue grass. Replays showed him walking over and stepping on the long grass, which officials determined could have potentially improved the conditions for his backswing. R&A rules official Charlie Maran indicated that the issue arose as the day progressed, leading to a discussion with DeChambeau at the scene of the shot.
According to Maran, the rules official believed DeChambeau had improved his lie. Brett Falkoff, DeChambeau’s manager, stated that officials felt he was not careful enough around a sensitive area and improved his swing path. R&A referee Grant Moir clarified that the rule restricts players from improving conditions affecting a stroke, including the area of the intended swing, even if the action is accidental.
Moir further explained that the prohibited action related to a part of the rule stating a player must not move, bend, or break any growing or attached natural object. While players are allowed to take reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance, they must use the least intrusive course of action and are not entitled to a normal stance or swing, even without intent to improve the area.
DeChambeau’s Reaction and Future Play
The penalty resulted in DeChambeau officially signing for a triple bogey 7 on the fifth hole. Despite being visibly agitated and expressing disappointment with the ruling, he took to social media to confirm his intention to continue playing in the tournament. He posted, "Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it."
There was initial uncertainty about whether he would play in Saturday’s third round following the controversial conclusion to Friday’s play. However, DeChambeau made it clear he would participate. He is scheduled to tee off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET with Sam Burns.
DeChambeau’s drive on the par-four fifth hole landed 257 yards into the tall grass, prompting the subsequent actions that led to the penalty. He had hit a provisional shot before locating his original ball and attempting to determine the best way to play it, during which he walked over nearby grass.
His camp, including Todd Lewis of Golf Channel, maintained that no walking or trampling of grass improved his lie or swing path. However, the R&A disagreed with this assessment, leading to the two-stroke penalty.
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Source: eu.usatoday.com
