Bryson DeChambeau can’t catch a break. Having entered The Open on the back of three missed cuts at this year’s majors, the nine-time PGA Tour winner opened the tournament on top of the leaderboard with a 3-under 67. However, as luck would have it, during round two, the American received a two-shot penalty.

On the drivable par-4 5th hole at Royal Birkdale, DeChambeau drove into deep, knee-high rough. After locating his ball, the 32-year-old was accused of trampling down fescue behind the ball and, in turn, improving his lie while preparing to play his second shot. He shot a strong 4-under 66 in the second round, leaving him at 7-under and just one shot off the lead held by Lucas Herbert. The two-stroke penalty dropped him three shots behind.

“Obviously disappointed with the ruling,” DeChambeau later wrote on social media. “I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it.” But what’s worth noting is that there was no camera angle behind him, and officials were 20 meters away, making it one of the more controversial decisions. Afterward, multiple PGA Tour pros, veterans, and major winners chimed in, and they seemed equally perplexed, with some questioning the R&A. 

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many Shots Was Bryson DeChambeau Penalized in R2 of the Open?

2134

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

13-time PGA Tour winner Mark Calcavecchia tweeted, “No penalty for @brysondech [Bryson DeChambeau]. No way.” When another user argued that the video clearly showed that DeChambeau stamped on the ball, he fired back, “How else [are] you supposed to get in there. He has every right to get behind his ball to view the shot, whether it’s a fairway or 4-foot-tall weeds.”

Notably, the veteran golfer was involved in a rules infraction himself at the 2026 Masters. He was booted from the course for using his phone. Nevertheless, the veteran was clearly exasperated at how the R&A imposed a two-shot penalty on DeChambeau despite not having a clear view of the situation. 10-time PGA Tour winner Steve Elkington had the same point.

Replying to Calcavecchia’s tweet, the Australian pro who now lives in Texas wrote, “Without a down-the-line camera view, there’s no way to know.”  Reiterating the same point, he again tweeted, “Without a camera from behind you can’t issue a decision…”

2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell also chimed in: “Interesting here with Bryson,” the LIV Golf pro wrote on X. “Looks like he may be penalized. Standing behind the ball, sizing up the shot in a normal routine, but ultimately trampling down the grass walking into the shot, which would improve his backswing? That’s my take. What do you guys see? Certainly not intentional, imo [in my opinion].”

He later added, “In any situation you are permitted to walk into the ball as per normal. Clearly there are times when you have to do it with caution, like when potential branches could be broken etc and long fescue like this. Definitely a grey area.”

While McDowell didn’t aggressively support DeChambeau like Calcavecchia, he was also not happy with the decision. McDowell felt Bryson DeChambeau perhaps should’ve been given the benefit of the doubt. Australian Open winner Wayne Riley, who was on the Sky Sports broadcast, couldn’t wrap his head around the penalty. His point? The camera angle doesn’t give any clarity on whether the trampled fescue impacted DeChambeau’s swing. 

“I can’t see how Bryson is going to get penalized without a camera behind him.”

Despite that, officials had reviewed TV footage during their discussion with DeChambeau and assessed a two-shot penalty. After signing his scorecard, officials pulled him aside for a review with the tournament officials and Grant Moir, an executive director of the R&A. Bryson DeChambeau animatedly demonstrated the shot with his club in hand to plead his case. But the ruling stood. 

The two-time U.S. Open winner wasn’t happy with it and even threatened to withdraw from the tournament. He felt the ruling effectively accused him of cheating. Meanwhile, Grant Moir addressed the matter, emphasizing that Bryson DeChambeau hadn’t acted deliberately but reiterating the punishment was appropriate. 

“Ruling 1 restricts what a player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke, and this includes the area of the players intended swing. So an improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke so that the player gains a potential advantage. 

“Now, I’ll stress that this applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson’s case.”

However, Moir’s statement did little to quell the chaos the incident generated, with veteran golfers sharing their opinions. From the comments, it appears the golfing community is refusing to accept the penalty.