Bryson DeChambeau's participation in the Open Championship was in doubt until after midnight on Friday following extraordinary scenes at the conclusion of his second round at Royal Birkdale. The American was handed a two-stroke penalty for improving the line of his swing in thick rough, a decision that prompted a furious response. The sanction shifted DeChambeau out of second place—one stroke behind leader Lucas Herbert—and left him tied for fifth.
Penalty Incident and Reaction
DeChambeau appeared to have produced an excellent second round of 66. However, before signing his card, he was brought into discussions with a tournament referee and Grant Moir, an executive director of the R&A. The incident occurred on the 5th hole, where DeChambeau was alleged to have trampled down grass behind his ball before playing. DeChambeau insisted on returning to the scene, club in hand, to prove his innocence. He cut an increasingly furious figure as it was made plain the penalty would stand. He then appeared to tell officials he would not play in the third round if that was the case.
Shortly after Friday turned to Saturday, DeChambeau posted on social media: “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.”
Officials' Explanation
Mark Darbon, chief executive of the R&A, joined the talks after DeChambeau returned to the scoring area. The player emerged moments before his aggregate score on the Open leaderboard was changed from seven to five under par. DeChambeau's five at the 5th was modified to a seven. Moir insisted via a statement that there was no sense of the Californian acting deliberately but that the punishment was appropriate. “Bryson has been penalised two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing on the 5th hole when he was playing his second shot,” said Moir. “Ruling 1 restricts what a player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke. This applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson’s case.”
Moir added: “The area of intended swing includes the entire area that might reasonably affect any part of the swing. The prohibited action is that the player mustn’t move, bend or break any growing or attached natural object. A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions, but must take the least intrusive course of action.”
DeChambeau's Late-Night Practice
After 10pm and in darkness on the Birkdale range, DeChambeau was still pounding drives while asking waiting reporters if they cared for any of his snacks. He had already asked what the media thought of his swing. When asked by the Guardian whether he would tee up on Saturday, DeChambeau said: “I’m going to practise, guys.” That he headed for a range session, which concluded at 10.30pm, at least suggested he had some notion of playing on. In 153 previous stagings, the Open had witnessed nothing akin to this.
Other Incidents and Leaderboard
Jon Rahm’s throwing of a club on the 15th tee paled into insignificance amid the DeChambeau drama. Rahm received a warning, meaning he will also be penalised by two strokes if something similar occurs. “I shouldn’t have moments like the one on 15, I get it,” said Rahm. Herbert had missed from 5ft on the final green, meaning he did not make history as the first man to shoot 61 in a major. Herbert settled for the 36-hole lead at 8 under. Jackson Suber, Ryan Gerard, and Cameron Young are at 6 under. DeChambeau, knocked out of the final group by his penalty, is tied with Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim at 5 under. Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre is at 4 under. Justin Thomas publicly bemoaned the fact Saturday’s tee times had still not been released at 10.40pm. Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick missed the cut. Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman, Joaquin Niemann, Wyndham Clark, and Cameron Smith also made early exits. DeChambeau remains, in typically chaotic circumstance.
