Bryson DeChambeau’s Two-Shot Penalty Alters Open Championship Outcome

Bryson DeChambeau entered the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with a strong start, posting rounds of 67 and 66. After a video review, officials retroactively applied a two-stroke penalty for standing on and flattening long grass on the fifth hole. The adjustment turned his second-round 66 into a 68, converting a bogey into a triple bogey and dropping him from second to fifth place. He ultimately finished four under par, six shots behind winner Ryan Fox, who claimed the Claret Jug at ten under.

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Tournament officials ruled that DeChambeau’s backswing improvement by altering the grass violated the rules governing the condition of the playing surface. The penalty was recorded after the round, affecting his cumulative score and his position on the leaderboard for the remainder of the event.

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At a post-round news conference, DeChambeau expressed that the penalty cost him a realistic chance to win, noting that without the two-stroke loss he would have been “tied for the lead” after the fifth and eleventh holes. He described his weekend as a “good fight,” acknowledged the setback, and confirmed his participation in the upcoming LIV Golf UK event at the JCB Golf and Country Club.

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• “I've never been a big fan of personal jabs," Scheffler said.” — Scottie Scheffler, at the 2025 PGA Championship

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