DeChambeau’s Two-Stroke Penalty Shapes Open Championship Outcome

During the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, Bryson DeChambeau received a retrospective two-stroke penalty for improving the area of his intended swing on the fifth hole. R&A rules officials ruled that he had stood on long grass and flattened it after his drive, a violation that changed his second-round score from 66 to 68. The adjustment dropped him from a tie for second place to a tie for fifth heading into the weekend.

Bleacher Report

DeChambeau entered the Open with a 4-under 66 in the first round, moving to 7-under after his original second-round 66. The penalty turned his fifth-hole bogey into a triple-bogey 7, and a later triple-bogey on the 11th hole in the final round left him at four-under overall, tied for 14th place—six strokes behind winner Ryan Fox. The incident sparked a televised exchange with officials that delayed the tournament schedule.

Reuters

• Original second-round score: 66 (7-under) -> adjusted to 68 (5-under) after penalty.

ESPN

• Fifth-hole result: bogey -> triple-bogey 7.

Reuters

• Final-round 11th-hole result: triple-bogey.

Reuters

• Final tournament total: 4-under-par, six strokes behind champion Ryan Fox.

ESPN

• Penalty magnitude: two strokes added to his score.

ESPN

• He also said, “Yeah, I made the cut. No, it was a good fight.”

ESPN

• Rory McIlroy: Criticized DeChambeau’s protest, saying the player was “keeping the tournament hostage.”

ESPN

• Scottie Scheffler: Commented on the broader dispute, saying, “I’ve never been a big fan of personal jabs.”

ESPN

• “Yeah, I made the cut. No, it was a good fight,” — Bryson DeChambeau, following Thursday’s first round of LIV Golf’s U

Reuters

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

ESPN

DeChambeau continues competing on the LIV Golf circuit, having opened with an eight-under round at the JCB Golf and Country Club in the United Kingdom. No further appeals or scheduled hearings regarding the Open penalty have been announced.

Reuters