Bryson DeChambeau’s Fury: The Two-Stroke Penalty that Changed the Open Championship

Bryson DeChambeau’s second round at the 2026 Open Championship was marred by controversy after he was assessed a two-stroke penalty for stomping on tall grass at the 5th hole.

DeChambeau had just sunk a birdie putt at the 18th to get to 7 under, one shot back of the lead, but his joy was short-lived. As he walked to the scoring area, he was approached by R&A officials who informed him that they wanted to investigate a potential rules violation at the 5th hole.

The officials were reviewing video footage that showed DeChambeau stepping on tall grass behind his ball multiple times, appearing to purposefully stomp it down to clear a path for his swing. As a result, DeChambeau was deemed to have inadvertently improved the area of his intended swing, which is a clear violation of R&A rules.

According to R&A executive director of governance Grant Moir, ‘Bryson has been penalized two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing… The area of intended swing includes the entire area that might reasonably affect any part of the backswing, the downswing or the complaining of the swing for the intended stroke, and importantly, what the prohibited action here is that the player mustn’t move, bend or break any growing or attached natural object.’

DeChambeau was initially furious, threatening to withdraw from the tournament, but cooler heads eventually prevailed. He rode out to the 5th hole with the officials, where an increasingly frustrated DeChambeau pleaded his case. Unfortunately for him, the R&A officials were not convinced by his argument and handed him the two-stroke penalty.

The penalty had a significant impact on DeChambeau’s score, as his bogey on the 5th became a triple bogey. His 66 for the round turned into a 68, which dropped him from solo 2nd at 7 under to 5 under and into T5 alongside Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim.

The two-stroke penalty has sparked a heated debate about the rules and their application. While some argue that DeChambeau’s actions were accidental and didn’t gain him an advantage, others believe that he should have known better and taken the least intrusive course of action to deal with the situation.

As the tournament continues, the penalty will undoubtedly be a major storyline. If DeChambeau wins, he’ll have overcome a rules decision he believes to be harsh and unfair. If he finishes one or two shots off the lead, the two-stroke penalty will be an even bigger story, and if he backs up and falls off the pace, plenty will speculate that the penalty shook DeChambeau’s focus.