Bryson DeChambeau walked into the scorer’s cabin at Royal Birkdale on Friday evening thinking he’d signed for a four-under 66, good enough for solo second at seven under, one stroke off Lucas Herbert’s lead. He walked out two strokes poorer, tied for fifth, and reportedly unsure whether he’d tee it up at all on Saturday.
The 154th Open Championship had its controversy, and like most controversies that grip this championship, it involved grass, a rulebook, and a player convinced the whole thing was wrong.
R&A officials flagged video footage of DeChambeau preparing to play his second shot from the fescue left of the fairway on the driveable par-4 5th. The footage showed him stepping on and compressing the wispy long grass behind and around his ball as he assessed a 72-yard wedge approach. Under Rule 8.1b, a player may not move, bend, or break any growing or attached natural object that improves the conditions affecting the stroke — including the area of the intended swing.
What followed was a scene that stretched longer than most halftime adjustments. DeChambeau, before signing his card, was taken back to the 5th hole to plead his case. Cameras rolled for more than 10 minutes as he gesticulated with his arms, club in hand, demonstrating how he’d played the shot. NBC analyst Jim Furyk offered a possible defense on the broadcast, suggesting the grass DeChambeau stepped on was well behind the ball and not in his swing path. “You could see it was not in his swing,” Furyk said.
The R&A wasn’t moved. Chief referee Grant Moir addressed the media after the deliberation concluded. “Bryson has been penalized two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing, so intended backswing on the 5th hole when he was playing his second shot,” Moir said. He stressed that the rule applies even when the action is accidental, as was the case here. “A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance,” Moir added. “But when doing so, the player must take the least intrusive course of action.”
DeChambeau declined to speak with reporters — as he has all week and for much of the 2026 season. He went straight to the driving range, signing a few autographs along the way, and hit balls for nearly an hour under the glow of the giant range screen before departing at 10:29 p.m.
His manager, Brett Falkoff, told loitering reporters that DeChambeau was undecided about continuing in the tournament and would announce his decision Saturday morning. Then Falkoff offered the line that cut through the rules jargon: “He’s a lot of things. He’s not a cheater.”
A couple of hours later, the speculation ended. DeChambeau posted on X: “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.” On Instagram, he posted a digitally altered image of himself floating above the rough at the 5th — a not-so-subtle reference to not touching the grass — with the caption, “Walking into the weekend like…”
The penalty dropped DeChambeau from seven under to five under, three strokes behind Herbert, who equaled the major championship record with a 62 on Friday. DeChambeau is expected back at Birkdale around 1:30 p.m. ahead of a 3:30 p.m. tee time, paired with compatriot Sam Burns, who also carded a 62 in the second round.
Charlie Maran, an R&A rules official, summarized the governing body’s position on the NBC telecast: “You have to take care around the ball. It’s about whether or not his actions were improving his lie.”
The film doesn’t lie. Whether DeChambeau agrees with what it showed is another matter entirely.
Sources
- Bryson DeChambeau threatens WD after controversial, chaotic Open penalty — Yahoo Sports
- DeChambeau ‘fired up’ for weekend at The Open after two-shot penalty — Yahoo Sports