R&A referee Grant Moir has explained why Bryson DeChambeau was given a two-shot penalty in the second round of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Officials ruled that the American improved the area of his intended backswing while preparing to play his second shot on the fifth hole.
The penalty came after DeChambeau had completed an excellent round. He believed he had signed for a four-under 66 and had climbed to seven-under for the tournament, just one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert.
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Instead, the ruling changed the leaderboard. Officials added two penalty strokes to his score, turning his 66 into a 68. That dropped him to five-under par and three shots behind Herbert heading into the weekend.
Why the R&A Penalized DeChambeau
The incident happened on the short par-four fifth hole after DeChambeau drove his ball into the deep rough on the right side of the fairway.
As he looked for the best way to play his next shot, cameras showed him walking around the ball while checking the line to the flag. During that process, officials believed he pressed down some of the long grass behind the ball.
After reviewing the footage, the R&A decided that DeChambeau had improved the area of his intended backswing. The Rules of Golf do not allow players to improve the conditions that could help them play a shot.
Grant Moir, R&A referee, explains why Bryson DeChambeau was handed a two-shot penalty 💬 pic.twitter.com/yH78bo9x9B
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 17, 2026
After finishing his round, DeChambeau met with rules officials and returned to the fifth hole to review the incident. He disagreed with the decision and defended his actions, but the R&A upheld the penalty.
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Grant Moir later explained the ruling in a statement. “Bryson has been penalized two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of his intended backswing on the fifth hole when he was playing his second shot,” Moir said.
How Penalty Cost DeChambeau Valuable Ground
The decision had a big impact on the leaderboard as DeChambeau lost valuable ground. Without the penalty, DeChambeau would have finished the day at seven-under par and earned a place in the final group alongside Lucas Herbert, who fired a brilliant 62 to take the lead.
Instead, his adjusted score left him tied for fifth on five-under alongside Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim. Even with the setback, DeChambeau still achieved an important milestone. After missing the cut in each of the first three major championships of 2026, he finally reached the weekend at a major.
DeChambeau’s opening rounds of 67 and 68 showed a big improvement from earlier in the season, although the two-shot penalty became one of the biggest talking points of the championship.
Despite the setback, the LIV Golf star remains within striking distance of the lead and will have an opportunity to make up ground over the weekend at Royal Birkdale.
Main Photo Credit: © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
