BRYSON DECHAMBEAU HANDED TWO-STROKE PENALTY AT OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Bryson DeChambeau received a two-stroke penalty at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale following a ruling on his conduct at the fifth hole. Officials determined that DeChambeau had inadvertently improved his lie by stepping back to flatten long grass, though the golfer contended he was attempting to read his shot. The decision took over 90 minutes to finalise after DeChambeau completed his round, causing delays to third-round tee times for other competitors.

The ruling prompted significant frustration among players awaiting confirmation of their schedule. Justin Thomas, a 16-time PGA Tour winner, posted on social media at 10:38pm local time requesting third-round tee times. DeChambeau initially threatened to withdraw from the tournament in protest at the decision, which he described as unjust, but ultimately opted to continue competing. The LIV Golf player wrote on X that he disagreed with the ruling but intended to use the situation as motivation for the weekend.

The penalty altered DeChambeau's standing in the championship. Without the penalty, he would have finished Friday's play one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert; with it applied, he moved to a tie for fifth place alongside Sam Burns and Kim Si-woo. DeChambeau had failed to make the cut at the opening three major tournaments of the season prior to The Open Championship.