Bryson DeChambeau’s brilliant second round at the British Open, which saw him get to seven-under par for the tournament and a shot back of the leader, Lucas Herbert, took a shocking turn moments after he walked off the 18th green when he was issued a two-shot penalty for something he did way back on the fifth hole.
DeChambeau immediately objected to the ruling and then went out to the fifth hole with two rules officials where he was seen getting pretty heated while defending his actions on the shot in question.
Winners and Losers From Second Round of British Open: The TV Broadcast Had One Major Failure
Here’s what happened on that shot: DeChambeau’s tee shot on the short par-4 5th landed in the deep rough right of the green. He was seen walking around the rough to get a look at his ball and also a look at the pin. Officials ruled that he improved his lie by stomping down some of the long grass behind his ball and issued a two-shot penalty.
Here’s a look at the shot in question:
Jim Furyk and Curt Byrum analyze the possible rules infraction involving Bryson DeChambeau on the 5th 🔊 pic.twitter.com/68en5kFxQl
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
Jim Furyk had this to say on the broadcast about DeChambeau’s process during that controversial moment.
“So right before this video started, Bryson backed up,” Furyk said. “You can see the fescue behind him, the grass behind him is pushed backwards. He backed up into it. He laid it down a little bit. It’s noticeable, it’s about three steps. And now his ball is forward of that. Would it have affected his swing I think is really the question. He’s playing the ball way back in his stance, he has a very vertical upright swing, he’s hacking down onto this ball—I think Bryson’s saying that ‘hey, that would not have impeded my swing’ and I think the R&A is questioning that and that’s what they were talking about this whole time.”
Here’s how things played out in the wild moments after his round:
Earlier vs. currently on the 5th hole
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
Bryson DeChambeau goes from setup to contact, while he explains his perspective on the incident with rules officials hours later pic.twitter.com/ORgImmdVka
That’s just not something we’re used to seeing at the end of a round in a major championship, or any golf tournament for that matter.
Here’s Chief Rules Referee at The Open, Grant Moir, explaining the penalty:
Grant Moir, Chief Rules Referee at The Open, explains the incident and decision that resulted in a 2-stroke penalty for Bryson DeChambeau pic.twitter.com/MQdmrFK18T
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
What this penalty means for DeChambeau’s British Open
Initially, DeChambeau shot a 7-under 66 that put him into second place. He would have been in the final group on Saturday with Herbert, who shot a 62 on Friday to take the solo lead.
Now with the penalty DeChambeau carded a 68, which drops him to five-under for the tournament and into a tie for fifth with Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim.
DeChambeau’s agent said after the ruling that there is a chance that he doesn’t play on Saturday, which would be even more stunning than the penalty.
Bryson’s agent is saying Bryson is 100 percent serious that he is not sure he will play tomorrow. Plans to make the decision in the morning. “He’s a lot of things. He’s not a cheater.”
— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) July 17, 2026
This was just a wild thing to see play out, especially after DeChambeau lit up the back nine with birdies on his final two holes.
UPDATE: DeChambeau says he will be playing this weekend:
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.
— Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondech) July 17, 2026
Now he will have to regroup in a hurry and put this behind him because he’s still very much in contention heading into the weekend.
This is the first cut DeChambeau has made at a major championship this year, and nobody could have predicted it would have come with all the drama that followed after his final putt.
