Bryson DeChambeau penalized two strokes at The Open: bogey turned into triple bogey after controversial incident in the rough
Bryson DeChambeau suffered a serious blow to his score at the 154th edition of The Open Championship after the R&A assessed him a two-stroke penalty following the completion of the second round for unintentionally improving the conditions affecting his swing on the fifth hole at Royal Birkdale. The American recorded a bogey on the course, taking five strokes on the short par 4, but his score was subsequently changed to a triple-bogey seven. His round of 66 was therefore adjusted to 68, while his total after 36 holes dropped from seven under par to five under. Instead of holding second place outright and trailing leader Lucas Herbert by only one stroke, DeChambeau entered the closing stages of the tournament three strokes off the lead. The decision prompted a long and tense discussion with officials, but the R&A emphasized that Rule 8.1 applies even when a player did not intend to gain an advantage.
Decision made only after the second round had ended
DeChambeau finished his second round on Friday, July 17, believing that he had shot 66, four under par. Following an opening 67, that score would have taken him to seven under overall, directly behind Herbert. He finished the round particularly strongly, with birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, and as he walked off the final green he appeared to be one of the day's biggest winners. However, shortly after submitting his scorecard, he was summoned for a discussion with rules officials because of footage recorded on the fifth hole. According to reports from Golf Channel and Sky Sports, more than 70 minutes passed between the completion of his round and the final decision.
The discussion was not confined to the scoring area. DeChambeau returned by vehicle to the scene with R&A representatives so that they could re-examine the position of the ball, the long grass and the route he had taken before his second shot. Television cameras captured a highly emotional conversation in which the American defended his actions and maintained that he had not knowingly improved the lie. Officials, however, concluded that his movement through the long grass had altered the area of his intended swing. He was then required to sign for a score of 68, and the bogey on the fifth hole officially became a triple bogey.
What happened on Royal Birkdale's fifth hole
The fifth hole at Royal Birkdale is a short, 321-yard par 4, approximately 294 meters long, completely redesigned for the 2026 edition of The Open. The official course guide describes it as a classic risk-and-reward hole: players can lay up to around 200 yards and leave themselves a short approach, or attempt a more aggressive attack on the green. DeChambeau, one of the longest hitters in professional golf, sent his tee shot far to the right into thick natural vegetation. Because it was initially uncertain whether the ball would be found, he also played a provisional ball. The original shot was eventually located deep in the long grass.
Before his second shot, DeChambeau moved around the ball while attempting to assess his options and find a way to make a swing. Those movements became the subject of the review. The R&A did not claim that the American had deliberately trampled down the grass to clear a path for the club, but that he had, even if unintentionally, improved the area through which he intended to take the club back. After he struck the ball from the difficult lie, it finished behind the green, and he completed the hole in five strokes. The subsequent general penalty of two strokes increased his score to seven.
That difference was not merely a formality. At a major championship, where a single stroke often determines the pairing for the final round or the winner of the trophy, two added strokes can completely change the strategy for the weekend. DeChambeau went from being a player who would have started Saturday in the final group to a member of the broader chasing pack. Instead of directly pressuring the leader from one stroke behind, he had to make up three strokes while also keeping an eye on several players positioned between him and the top of the leaderboard.
Why Rule 8.1 was applied
The R&A based its decision on Rule 8.1, one of the fundamental rules protecting the principle that the course must be played as it is found. The rule restricts actions through which a player may improve the lie of the ball, the area of the intended stance, the area of the intended swing, the line of play or the relief area in which a ball will be dropped or placed. A player is permitted to reasonably search for the ball, approach it and take a stance, even when such necessary movements have some effect on the surroundings. However, the official wording of the rule states that a player is not entitled to a normal stance or a completely free swing in every situation and must choose the least intrusive method of approaching the ball.
Grant Moir, the R&A's chief referee, explained that DeChambeau was penalized because he unintentionally improved the area of his intended backswing before the second shot. According to his interpretation, the key question was not whether the player wanted to gain an advantage, but whether the conditions had been altered in a way that created a possible advantage for the upcoming stroke. The R&A specifically emphasized that this standard also applies when the action is accidental. In stroke play, the general penalty for a breach of Rule 8.1 is two strokes, which in this case directly changed the score on the hole from five to seven.
Such an application of the rule often provokes debate because the boundary between reasonably approaching the ball and unlawfully improving the conditions is not always obvious to spectators or even to players. Long grass can be bent by an ordinary step, and a player must find a balance between safely taking a position and the obligation not to create a more favorable path for the club. That is why video footage, the positioning of the feet and an assessment of the possible swing became decisive in this case. The R&A concluded that DeChambeau had not chosen the least intrusive way of moving around the ball, although it accepted that he had not acted with the intention of cheating.
Heated discussion, doubts over continuing and confirmation of participation
DeChambeau visibly challenged the decision during his discussion with officials. According to footage and reports from the course, at one point he suggested that he might not continue in the tournament if the penalty remained in effect. His agent, Brett Falkoff, later told reporters that the golfer felt he had been unfairly penalized, while rejecting any suggestion that he had attempted to cheat. DeChambeau did not immediately conduct his usual media interview, instead going to the practice area after the lengthy process and continuing to work on his swing.
The uncertainty continued until late in the evening, but DeChambeau later confirmed on the social network X that he would play during the weekend. He said that he was disappointed and disagreed with the ruling, but that the entire situation had also provided him with additional motivation. That removed the possibility of a withdrawal that would have deepened the controversy at the final men's major of the season. The third-round schedule had him teeing off on Saturday, July 18, at 3:30 p.m. local time, alongside Sam Burns.
Although the discussion was heated, there are no official claims that the R&A accused DeChambeau of deliberate deception. On the contrary, the organizer's explanation explicitly states that the improvement was unintentional. The dispute therefore concerns not his motive, but the assessment of whether his movement physically altered a protected area and provided a potentially easier swing. That distinction is important for understanding the ruling: under the Rules of Golf, the absence of intent does not automatically eliminate a penalty when a possible advantage has been created.
Two strokes completely changed the picture at the top
The official leaderboard after two rounds showed Lucas Herbert in first place at eight under par. The Australian shot 62 on Friday, matching the lowest single-round score in the history of The Open, while a short missed par putt on the 18th prevented him from becoming the first golfer to shoot 61 in a men's major. Jackson Suber, Cameron Young and Ryan Gerard were tied at six under par. After the penalty, DeChambeau dropped to five under alongside Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim.
Without the penalty, the American would have been alone in second place at seven under and would have played alongside Herbert in Saturday's final pairing. Following the adjustment, he had to start 20 minutes earlier with Burns and entered the battle for the lead behind three players at six under. In numerical terms, his deficit increased only from one to three strokes, but the structure of the competition also changed: he could no longer control the situation by playing alongside the leader and instead had to apply pressure from an earlier group while monitoring the scores of opponents playing after him.
Burns added to the unusual nature of Friday at Birkdale. Only around 20 minutes after Herbert's 62, the American also completed his round in 62 strokes, including a birdie from a bunker on the final hole. According to official data from The Open, Herbert became the fifth man to shoot 62 in a major and Burns the sixth, while Xander Schauffele has achieved that score twice. Before them, the only player to shoot 62 at The Open was Branden Grace, also at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Historic scores therefore shared the headlines with a rules decision that directly affected one of the leading contenders for the title.
A hole designed for risk became the center of the championship
Royal Birkdale, a links course in Southport in northwestern England, is hosting The Open for the 11th time in 2026. According to official information from the organizers, only St Andrews has hosted golf's oldest major championship more often since Birkdale first staged it in 1954. The course is renowned for its dunes, narrow corridors, deep bunkers and wind that can quickly change the value of every shot. The fifth hole, rebuilt as a short par 4, was intended to present players with a tactical choice between a safe lay-up and a direct attack on the green. In DeChambeau's case, it became the place where the tournament changed without an additional swing of the club.
Royal Birkdale's official guide warns that an aggressive shot on the fifth can create a birdie opportunity, but can also leave a player in extremely deep rough or behind the green. That risk materialized after DeChambeau's shot to the right. His power, normally a major advantage on short par 4s, could not neutralize either the difficult lie or the requirements of the rules. The incident demonstrated that links golf punishes not only an incorrect distance or direction, but also the way a player handles the situation after the ball finishes outside the prepared playing surface.
For DeChambeau, a two-time major champion, the sporting task nevertheless remains clear. A three-stroke deficit after 36 holes is not insurmountable, particularly on a course where the wind, hole locations and bounces of the ball can change the order within minutes. However, the penalty deprived him of room for error and forced him to attack without losing discipline. Every subsequent attempt to escape from the rough will be watched especially closely, while his response over the weekend has become as important a story as the ruling itself.
The controversy on the fifth hole will remain an example of how inseparable scores and rules are at the highest level of golf. The R&A acknowledged that the improvement was not intentional, but concluded that a potential advantage had been created and applied the prescribed general penalty. DeChambeau disagrees with that assessment, but decided to remain in the tournament and try to recover the two lost strokes through his play. At Royal Birkdale, where historic records were both broken and matched on the same day, one incident in the long grass altered the position of one of the favorites and added another level of tension to the battle for the Claret Jug.
Sources:
- R&A – official wording of Rule 8.1 on actions that improve conditions affecting the stroke (link)
- Sky Sports – report on the penalty, referee Grant Moir's explanation and Bryson DeChambeau's reaction (link)
- Golf Channel – chronology of the incident, return to the fifth hole and confirmation of participation in the third round (link)
- The Open – official leaderboard and standings after two rounds at Royal Birkdale (link)
- The Open – official Royal Birkdale course guide and description of the redesigned fifth hole (link)
- The Open – official report on the rounds of 62 by Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns (link)