Royal Birkdale: DeChambeau penalized two shots at ...

By Liam Tremblay — 18 July 2026 — 3 min read

Bryson DeChambeau faced a two-stroke penalty at the Open Championship following his second round, impacting his standing for Saturday’s play. The penalty, assessed almost two hours after he completed his round, dropped him from 7 under par to 5 under par, moving him from sole second place into a three-way tie for fifth.

The ruling stemmed from an incident on the fifth hole, where officials determined DeChambeau inadvertently improved his lie. He had driven his ball into a native area on the right side of the par 4. While assessing his shot, it appeared he may have trampled the long grass behind his ball.

Penalty Details and DeChambeau’s Reaction

After hitting his drive, DeChambeau hit a provisional ball, assuming his first was lost. His original ball was found, but his subsequent actions around it prompted an investigation by R&A rules officials. A viral video of the incident on the fifth hole drew attention from social media followers and tournament organizers, raising questions about whether he had improved his lie.

Grant Moir, the R&A executive director of governance, confirmed that DeChambeau received a two-stroke penalty for “inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing.” Moir clarified that an “improvement” involves altering conditions affecting a stroke to gain a potential advantage, even if accidental. The area of intended swing encompasses any part that might reasonably affect the backswing, downswing, or follow-through of the stroke.

DeChambeau reportedly spent a significant amount of time after his round arguing his case with officials. According to reports, he attempted to explain that although the grass was pushed down, its direction did not influence the direction of his shot. Despite his arguments, the R&A concluded that his movements around the ball were not careful enough and had improved his swing path.

Following the decision, DeChambeau expressed his frustration on social media just after midnight local time. He posted on X, stating, “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.” This post indicated his intention to play on Saturday, despite the penalty.

His agent, Brett Falkoff, informed reporters at Royal Birkdale that the R&A believed DeChambeau had not been sufficiently careful with his foot placement around the ball, leading to an improved swing path. When asked if DeChambeau would play on Saturday, Falkoff responded, “your guess is as good as mine,” but added that the decision would be DeChambeau‘s alone, describing him as a “big boy” who felt unfairly penalized.

Impact on the Championship

The penalty significantly altered DeChambeau‘s position on the leaderboard. He would have been in the final group with Lucas Herbert, who leads the championship after tying the record for the lowest round ever shot at a men’s major with a 62. Instead, DeChambeau will now be three shots behind the lead heading into Saturday’s play.

He is scheduled to be paired with Sam Burns in the third-to-last group. Burns also made history by tying the major championship record with a 62, just 22 minutes after Herbert‘s impressive round. Burns‘s performance included a bunker shot on the 18th for his third consecutive birdie, and he was not even aware he had tied a record until after his round.

The second round of the Open Championship saw considerable drama beyond DeChambeau‘s penalty. Jon Rahm received an official conduct warning for throwing his club after a poor tee shot. Meanwhile, Herbert, who finished at 8-under 132, expressed slight disappointment despite his record-tying round, having missed a 5-foot par putt that would have given him a 61.

Herbert now holds his first 36-hole lead in a major. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler finished his round with a 68, placing him four shots behind the leader. Other players in contention include Jackson Suber (69), Ryan Gerard (67), and Cameron Young, who has posted two 67s. Rahm also remains in the mix, four shots back, despite his conduct warning. The cut was set at 1-over 141.

DeChambeau continued to hit balls on the range until approximately 10:30 p.m. local time, indicating his focus despite the ruling.