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By Ethan Carter — 18 July 2026 — 3 min read

Penalty assessed at Royal Birkdale

Bryson DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty at The Open Championship for an alleged infraction on the fifth hole on Friday. The penalty was issued for improving the conditions affecting his stroke, a decision that significantly impacted his standing in the tournament at Royal Birkdale. The incident occurred after DeChambeau had completed his round, initially believing he had shot a 66.

On the fifth hole, DeChambeau’s tee shot landed far to the right, beyond the red stake penalty area and into tall, waist-high grass. He chose to play the ball from its lie, moving through the grass behind it before taking his shot. He then bogeyed the hole. Following his round, which he thought put him at 7 under par for the tournament, one stroke behind leader Lucas Herbert, officials from the R&A approached him.

The officials, along with DeChambeau and his caddie, Greg Bodine, returned to the fifth hole in carts to discuss the potential penalty. DeChambeau became visibly agitated during the conversation, repeatedly re-enacting his swing and pleading his case. He argued that the trampled fescue was not directly in the line of his swing. Despite his arguments, officials ultimately decided to impose the penalty.

Details of the ruling

The penalty was issued under Rule 8.1 of the R&A’s official Rules of Golf, which restricts players from improving conditions affecting their stroke. These conditions include the lie of the ball, the area of the player’s intended stance, the area of the player’s intended swing, and the player’s line of play. Players are not permitted to move, bend, or break any growing or attached natural object, though they are allowed to search for their ball by taking reasonable actions.

According to Grant Moir, an R&A rules official, an improvement is defined as altering one or more conditions affecting the stroke to gain a potential advantage, even if the action is accidental. This explanation was provided as the reason for DeChambeau’s penalty. His agent, Brett Falkoff, stated that the explanation given was that DeChambeau was “not careful enough walking around a sensitive area” and that he “wasn’t given the benefit of the doubt.”

After more than an hour of deliberation, the official scoring on The Open’s website and the hand-operated scoreboard at the 18th grandstand were updated. DeChambeau’s score was adjusted to 5 under, moving him from solo second place to a tie for fifth with Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim. This change placed Jackson Suber, who had the first-round lead, in the final group on Saturday afternoon with Herbert.

DeChambeau’s reaction and plans

Following the ruling, 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.” He also posted multiple photos on his Instagram account, some of which appeared to make light of the R&A’s decision. He declined to answer questions from reporters about the incident.

As he left the scoring area, DeChambeau repeatedly told reporters, “I’m going to go hit some balls,” heading to the driving range. He remained on the range until 10:30 p.m. local time, more than two hours after completing his round. During this time, he engaged with the reporters present, asking about his swing and offering snacks. The range cafe, known as “The Donut Hole,” remained open, likely due to his presence.

While on the fifth hole during the discussion with officials, DeChambeau reportedly indicated he might not play on Saturday. However, his social media post later that night suggested his intention to participate in his 3:30 p.m. local tee time, where he is paired with Sam Burns. His agent also mentioned that he was considering not teeing off on Saturday. DeChambeau’s initial score of 66 was adjusted to a 70 after the penalty.

Source: nytimes.com