Bryson DeChambeau walked off the 18th green in the second round of the 2026 Open Championship pumping his fist and waving to the crowd after a birdie at the last got him to 7 under, one shot back of the lead heading into the weekend at Royal Birkdale. Or so he thought.
As DeChambeau walked to the scoring area, he was greeted by R&A officials who informed him they wanted to go back to the 5th hole and investigate a potential rules violation after DeChambeau's tee shot found the tall grass well right of the drivable par 4.
Video showed DeChambeau stepping on tall grass behind his ball numerous times, appearing to purposefully stomp it down to clear a path for his swing. As he was deemed to have done that, he received a two-stroke penalty, pushing him from solo 2nd into T5 on the leaderboard, three shots back of leader Lucas Herbert.
Bryson DeChambeau is reportedly engaged with rules officials about a possible infraction and 2-stroke penalty during his second round. He's heading back to the 5th hole for a closer examination. (via @ToddLewisGC) pic.twitter.com/ckjYLbcFD9
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
DeChambeau and his caddie rode out to the site with the officials, where an increasingly frustrated DeChambeau pleaded his case. Unfortunately for him, the R&A were clearly not buying his attempt at proving his innocence. The saga produced some incredible scenes, where even without audio, it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on.
Bryson DeChambeau on the 5th hole with rules officials discussing the matter of trampled grass for an improved lie ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/W76pnXGwnn
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
Despite DeChambeau's best efforts and wild gestures, he was unable to sway the officials from handing him the penalty. The parties rode back to the scoring area, where a lengthy discussion continued with DeChambeau, his caddie and his agent.
The ultimate result was that his bogey on the 5th became a triple bogey, and his 66 for the round turned into a 68. That dropped him from solo 2nd at 7 under back to 5 under and into T5 alongside Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim. That is a significant difference halfway through a tournament, and the penalty decision immediately becomes one of the biggest storylines of the weekend, no matter what DeChambeau does on Saturday and Sunday.
If he wins, he'll have overcome a rules decision he believes to be harsh and unfair -- although it's not hard to see what the rules officials see on video. If he finishes one or two shots off the lead, the two-stroke penalty will be an even bigger story, and if he backs up and falls off the pace, plenty will speculate that the penalty shook DeChambeau's focus.
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