Bryson DeChambeau hit with two-shot penalty after Open Championship rules violation

Bryson DeChambeau’s second round score at The Open was dramatically altered after the LIV Golf star was handed a two-shot penalty following a rules violation on the 5th hole at Royal Birkdale.

DeChambeau believed he had signed for a second-round 66 to move to 7-under par, leaving him in solo second place and just one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert. However, after completing his round, the American was informed by R&A officials that they wanted to investigate his actions on the par-4 5th.

The incident occurred after DeChambeau’s tee shot found the deep rough down the right side of the fairway, leaving him with a difficult lie surrounded by thick grass.

Following a lengthy review that lasted more than an hour, officials determined that DeChambeau had “inadvertently improved the area of his intended swing” by stepping down the grass behind his ball, giving himself a better position from which to play the shot.

DeChambeau was deemed to have breached the rules, resulting in a two-shot penalty being added to his score.

The 5th hole, which DeChambeau originally recorded as a bogey-five, was changed to a triple-bogey seven.

As a result, his second-round score of 66 was revised to a 68, dropping him from 7-under par to 5-under par on the leaderboard. 

The penalty moved DeChambeau from just one shot behind Herbert into a tie for fifth place heading into the weekend.

After the round, R&A officials took DeChambeau back to the scene of the incident at the 5th hole in an attempt to assess whether his actions had improved his lie before making their final decision.

As you can see from the below footage shared by Sky Sports Golf, the two-time U.S. Open champion was not best pleased with the discussions that were taking place. 

Watch what happened here:

The R&A's chief rules official, Grant Moir, provided a detailed explanation after DeChambeau was handed a two-shot penalty on Friday night. 

Moir explained: "Bryson has been assessed a two-stroke penalty for inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing and intended backswing while playing his second shot on the fifth hole."

He then referenced the relevant rule in full before stressing an important point, adding: "I'd like to emphasise that this rule applies regardless of whether there was any intention to improve the area, which was the situation in Bryson's case."

According to Golfweek, DeChambeau’s agent Brett Falkoff said the American was not informed that the R&A had flagged the incident until after he had completed his round.

Falkoff also revealed there is uncertainty over whether DeChambeau will continue in the tournament, with the LIV Golf star’s reaction to the ruling still unclear.

When asked whether DeChambeau would play his third round or withdraw in protest, Falkoff responded: “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Despite this huge blow in his bid to win The Open for the first time in his career, DeChambeau has at least cut a run of three consecutive missed cuts in the majors. 

Providing he still turns up as planned on Saturday, he will start the weekend three shots off the pace as he goes in pursuit of a first Claret Jug and third major title.  

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.