Bryson DeChambeau had an ugly opening nine on Thursday at the PGA Championship, where he went out in 39 on Aronimink’s back side. Things didn’t get much better after he made the turn, where he was puzzled by an odd rules situation at the par-4 second.
The two-time U.S. Open winner had a bad case of the rights all day, and he didn’t fix the issue at No. 2. He blocked his tee shot so far right it ended up on the steps of a hospitality tent, where he would be granted relief.
Just not quite the relief he thought, at least based off this exchange with a rules official that was captured on ESPN. “I’m so confused right now,” DeChambeau said. “I thought TIO (temporary immovable obstruction) you get one [club length] and then drop on the next?”
"I'm so confused right now."
Bryson DeChambeau had a hard time understanding the rules after his tee shot landed directly on the stairs 😅 pic.twitter.com/NIBs6K8A5E
— ESPN (@espn) May 14, 2026
By the sound of it, it seems DeChambeau was correct that he would get a second club length and then be able to take his drop in that relief area.
“Is there relief on this path?” DeChambeau asked. “Oh, it is, that’s what I thought.”
After taking his drop, DeChambeau managed to hit a beauty to 22 feet and two-putt for par. One of the few highlights of his first round. DeChambeau is currently seven over par with one hole remaining.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
