Bryson DeChambeau ‘fired up’ for weekend at The Open

Bryson DeChambeau was "fired up" for the weekend at The Open after receiving a controversial two-shot penalty during his second round at Royal Birkdale. The two-time US Open champion found himself in a dramatic situation following the penalty, which was imposed for inadvertently improving the area for his backswing on the fifth hole.

DeChambeau had initially played well, shooting a 66 to reach seven under for the tournament, just two strokes behind Australian Lucas Herbert, who matched a major record with a remarkable round of 62. However, shortly after signing his scorecard, officials informed him that he had violated a rule regarding the improvement of conditions affecting his swing.

Local officials took him back to the fifth hole for discussions, where DeChambeau, holding a club, tried to demonstrate how he had taken his shot. After a lengthy conversation, he returned to the recorders' office, where he was ultimately issued a two-stroke penalty. Speculation arose that DeChambeau might refuse to play in the following round, but he quickly dismissed those rumors.

Later, he took to social media, posting on X that he was disappointed with the ruling but would use it as motivation. He stated, "Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it." On Instagram, he shared digitally manipulated images of himself over the rough where the infringement occurred, captioned with the phrase, "Walking into the weekend like..."

Looking ahead, DeChambeau was scheduled to return to the Southport links around 1:30 PM for his 3:30 PM tee time. After the penalty, he dropped to five under and was set to play in the same group as his compatriot Sam Burns, who also impressively shot a 62 on Friday.

Grant Moir, the Open’s chief referee, provided a detailed explanation for the ruling against DeChambeau. He described that the penalty was due to DeChambeau improving the area of his intended swing.

Moir, the R&A’s executive director of governance, noted, "Ruling 8.1 restricts what a player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke, including the area of the player’s intended swing. An improvement implies altering conditions to gain a potential advantage, which applies even if the act is accidental. The player must avoid moving or bending any growing or attached natural object. While one can take reasonable actions to prepare for a shot, they should do so minimally and not expect a normal stance or swing if conditions require more intrusive measures."