Bryson DeChambeau was penalised two strokes during his second round at the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 17 for inadvertently improving his lie on the par-four fifth hole [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Officials determined DeChambeau had trampled long grass behind his ball, improving the area of his intended backswing in thick rough [1, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The penalty adjusted DeChambeau’s score on the fifth hole from a bogey five to a triple bogey seven, changing his second round score from 66 to 68 [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Before the penalty, he stood solo second at seven under par, one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert. The penalty dropped him to a tie for fifth place at five under par, three shots behind Herbert [1, 3, 4, 5, 6].
DeChambeau engaged in a lengthy and heated discussion with officials after the ruling, returning to the scene with a club to argue his case but was unsuccessful [3, 5, 6]. He appeared frustrated and threatened to withdraw from the tournament but later confirmed he would continue in round three [3, 5, 7, 6].
R&A rules official Grant Moir explained, “Bryson has been penalised two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of intended backswing on fifth hole,” emphasizing no evidence of deliberate cheating [3, 5]. DeChambeau’s agent and caddie disagreed, arguing any stepping on grass was unintentional and did not improve his swing path enough to justify a penalty [3, 4].
Rory McIlroy strongly criticised DeChambeau’s behavior, calling it “performative” and accusing him of “holding the tournament hostage” due to delays caused. McIlroy said, “I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure,” adding the improvement was clear whether careless or intentional [8, 9, 10, 7, 11]. Scottie Scheffler, who played alongside DeChambeau, expressed discomfort over his attitude but declined to comment in detail [10, 11].
DeChambeau finished the second round tied for fifth place and remained in contention as the tournament advanced. He will play the third round later today, seeking to regain ground on the leader [5, 7].
