Everything had gone right for Bryson DeChambeau over the first 36 holes of the 2026 Open Championship. For the first time in what felt like a long time, the focus was squarely on his play. Rounds of 67 and 66 had him one off the lead of Lucas Herbert. He had already stuck it to Faldo, to Brandel. Hell, even the European fans were embracing him.
Then, DeChambeau was informed by R&A officials after the round that he may have committed a two-stroke penalty at the fifth hole. Vibes, dead.
RELATED: Record-breaking Lucas Herbert takes outright lead on Day 2
In a wild scene, DeChambeau and multiple rules officials went back to the supposed scene of the crime in carts. NBC analyst Smylie Kaufman captured the footage:
The Mystery Machine in hot pursuit 🕵️♂️ pic.twitter.com/0N8iRjGW8o
— Smylie Kaufman (@SmylieKaufman10) July 17, 2026
If you thought that was wild, NBC cameras caught to an even more tense scene back at the fifth hole, where DeChambeau fiercely pleaded his case that he did nothing wrong for more than eight minutes The supposed infraction came on DeChambeau’s second shot, when he may have improved his lie, or his swing path.
Here was the supposed infraction:
Did Bryson Dechambeau improve his lie here?
Watch the surrounding grass area behind the ball and his set up routine. Posting the full, unedited sequence so golf fans and officials can judge it themselves. @NUCLRGOLF @TheOpen @GolfChannel @NoLayingUp @brysondech #open pic.twitter.com/al2eT01tp8
— Mr. Feeny (@MrFeeny7) July 17, 2026
Clearly, the R&A had reviewed this footage at some point over the next few hours and informed DeChambeau about it afterward. That’s when they went back out to the fifth.
NBC brilliantly put the footage of DeChambeau originally arriving at his ball and the footage of him pleading his case live on the broadcast, juxtaposed against one another:
Earlier vs. currently on the 5th hole
Bryson DeChambeau goes from setup to contact, while he explains his perspective on the incident with rules officials hours later pic.twitter.com/ORgImmdVka
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
Based off DeChambeau’s handling of this situation, it’s almost as if he’s already been told he’s receiving a two-stroke penalty. Both he, and the rest of us, continue to wait and see if that will be the case.
As of now, DeChambeau is slated to play in the final twosome on Saturday alongside solo leader Lucas Herbert. Should he be hit with the penalty, he’d fall to five-under and into a tie for sixth. We’ll update this story when more information comes.
UPDATE: Bryson DeChambeau was officially hit with a two-stroke penalty for “inadvertently improving the area of his intended backswing,” according to the R&A’s Grant Moir, who met with the media.
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