Royal Birkdale has a way of chewing people up and spitting them into the rough, and Bryson DeChambeau found that out the hard way during the second round of the 2026 Open Championship. The R&A hit the two-time U.S. Open champion with a two-shot penalty after reviewing footage from the fifth hole, where DeChambeau — stuck in a miserable spot off the tee — was deemed to have unintentionally improved his lie by trampling down grass in his backswing area while sizing up his approach shot.
The penalty dropped DeChambeau from seven-under to five-under, leaving him three shots off the lead heading into the weekend. Lucas Herbert, the Australian, held the top spot after a record-equalling 62.
Graeme McDowell, watching from afar, weighed in on X with the kind of breakdown you’d expect from a former U.S. Open champion who knows his way around links grass. “Interesting here with Bryson,” McDowell wrote. “Looks like he may be penalized. Standing behind the ball sizing up the shot in normal routine but ultimately trampled down grass walking into shot which would improve his backswing? That’s my take. What you guys see? Certainly not intentional imo.”
McDowell’s read lined up with the R&A’s ruling: no intent, but the advantage was real. The man’s 6-foot-1 and built like a science experiment — every step he takes in long grass moves some earth. That doesn’t make it legal, even if it makes it understandable.
What happened next was the part that nearly turned a bad break into a full-blown disaster. DeChambeau left doubt about whether he would even continue in the tournament. A withdrawal would have been one of the dumbest moves of his career, and he still had 36 holes to fight his way back into it. He eventually confirmed on social media that he would play on, but the damage to his reputation — threatening to quit over a penalty that even a sympathetic observer like McDowell called fair — was already done.
Meanwhile, about a mile away on the 15th tee, Jon Rahm was having his own moment. After a wayward shot, Rahm flung his club into the ground and received nothing more than a warning from officials. No penalty strokes. No two-shot deduction. Just a tap on the wrist and a “don’t do that again, pal.”
That leniency looks a lot more generous when you stack it next to what happened to Joaquin Niemann at this year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Niemann became the first golfer penalized under the new major championship code of conduct after throwing his club — same behavior, same sport, two-shot penalty. Paul McGinley publicly backed that punishment, and Niemann himself said he’d learn from it.
So the scoreboard reads like this: DeChambeau loses two shots for inadvertently flattening grass while walking into his shot. Rahm loses nothing for launching a club in frustration. Niemann lost two at Shinnecock for the same thing Rahm did at Birkdale. The major championships have a code of conduct now, and they’re enforcing it — just not with any rhythm you can follow.
DeChambeau started the third round three back. Rahm sat four off the pace, one shot further behind than the American he shared a LIV Golf roster with. Both still had a tournament to win. Only one of them was paying for his Friday.
Sources:
- Yahoo Sports — Graeme McDowell reacts to Bryson DeChambeau being handed a penalty at The Open
- Yahoo Sports — Why Jon Rahm should consider himself incredibly fortunate after Bryson DeChambeau docked two shots at The Open
- The Guardian — Golf section (Open 2026 coverage, July 17, 2026)