DeChambeau receives two-shot penalty at Royal Birkdale after rules infringement
Bryson DeChambeau received a two-shot penalty during the second round of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, a decision he publicly disagreed with. The American golfer had initially appeared to be one shot off the lead at seven under par after a four-under 66 in his second round. However, officials intervened as he left the course to discuss a potential rules infringement, ultimately leading to the penalty.
The penalty stemmed from an incident on the fifth hole where DeChambeau was accused of trampling on long grass near his ball. Following a lengthy discussion with Open rules officials, it was confirmed that he had inadvertently improved his lie. This ruling pushed him back to five under par, placing him three shots behind leader Lucas Herbert.
DeChambeau expressed his disappointment on social media, 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.” Earlier, he had declined to answer questions from the assembled media after emerging from the recorders’ office, where he had spent over 20 minutes discussing the issue with officials, including R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.
His only comments to reporters at that time were, “Are you guys having a great night? I’m having a great night.” He then indicated he was going to “hit some balls” and proceeded to the driving range, where he took a selfie with fans before speaking with his team.
The penalty incident
The incident occurred after DeChambeau hit a wayward drive into deep rough on the fifth hole. Videos reportedly showed the 32-year-old American seemingly trampling down knee-high rough behind his ball. Officials determined that he had not “played the course as it is found,” violating Rule 8.1, which addresses actions that “improve conditions affecting the stroke.” This rule includes the area of a player’s intended swing, which DeChambeau was found to have interfered with.
Grant Moir, the R&A‘s executive director of governance, confirmed the penalty, stating, “Bryson has been penalised two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of intended backswing on fifth hole.” Moir emphasised that this rule applies even when the action is accidental, as it was deemed to be in DeChambeau’s case. DP World Tour rules official Graeme Storm, serving as a summariser for 5 Live radio, explained that improving the line of play for a club to hit the ball, regardless of intent, constitutes improving the lie and incurs a two-shot penalty.
The sequence of events unfolded dramatically. At 20:24 BST, DeChambeau birdied the 18th, moving to seven under, one shot behind Herbert. By 20:52 BST, rules officials began investigating, driving DeChambeau back to the fifth hole. An animated discussion followed at 20:55 BST, with DeChambeau appearing frustrated. He returned to the media centre area by 21:10 BST, where he smiled but did not answer questions about playing in round three. The two-shot penalty was confirmed at 21:35 BST after he emerged from the cabin.
The official scoring on The Open‘s website and the 18th grandstand scoreboard were updated to reflect DeChambeau’s score as five under, moving him from solo second to tied for fifth with Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim. Jackson Suber, who had the first-round lead, moved into the final group on Saturday afternoon with Herbert.
DeChambeau’s reaction and past form
The evening’s events were described as highly dramatic, with seasoned golf reporters noting the unusual nature of the post-round developments at an Open Championship. DeChambeau’s agent, Brett Falkoff, suggested that DeChambeau was “not careful enough walking around a sensitive area” and “wasn’t given the benefit of the doubt.”
Despite the penalty, DeChambeau’s social media post indicated his intention to play on Saturday, with his tee time paired with Sam Burns. After leaving the scoring area, he repeatedly told reporters he was going to “hit some balls” and spent time at the driving range until almost 22:30 local time, engaging with reporters by asking about his swing and offering snacks.
On the course, DeChambeau is known for his unconventional approach, including using single-length clubs and switching to LIV Golf. Prior to the penalty, he had navigated challenging afternoon winds at Royal Birkdale, putting himself in contention for a tournament that some, including three-time Open champion Nick Faldo, believed he had little chance of winning. Faldo had previously commented on DeChambeau’s strategy, suggesting he had “zero clue of strategy.”
DeChambeau’s performance at Royal Birkdale followed missed cuts at the US PGA Championship and US Open. After his opening round of 67, he had spoken to Open organisers about his “strategy” on multiple occasions. Former European Tour winner Andrew Murray, who followed DeChambeau for 5 Live radio, praised his patience and sensible approach, noting his impressive short game and linksy play.
The two-time US Open champion will continue his play in the tournament, despite the two-shot penalty.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
As News GB's Senior Football Correspondent, Lewis Hartnell reports on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side for readers across the country. He reported on south-coast football for a regional title. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Solent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Lewis lives in Southampton, where he watches youth football and follows the transfer market. “The week's training ground decides the weekend's headlines.”
