Bryson DeChambeau was involved in a contentious exchange with rules officials during the second round of The Open at Royal Birkdale on Friday. The dispute centered on an alleged improvement of his lie on the fifth hole.
Astonishing scenes showed the American shouting animatedly at officials as they debated the potential infraction. DeChambeau had initially shot a second-round 66, moving him to second place on the leaderboard. He was subsequently taken back to the fifth hole to address the incident.
In extraordinary footage, DeChambeau appeared to express dissatisfaction that could have led to him withdrawing from the tournament's third round. Following a prolonged argument, the LIV Golf player was seen leaving the scoring area still discussing the situation. He declined to confirm whether he would play on Saturday.
Initially, it remained unclear if DeChambeau would face a penalty for improving his lie by trampling down the rough near his ball to aid his backswing. However, his score on the official leaderboard was later updated to 68, confirming a two-shot penalty.
The ruling resulted in a triple-bogey seven on the fifth hole. Following the resolution of the saga, DeChambeau was in a tie for fifth place, three shots behind leader Lucas Herbert.
A representative for DeChambeau later provided some context, stating that officials felt he had not been careful enough in the sensitive area around his ball. They believed he improved his swing path by walking on the grass, even though the swing path was not near the ball. The representative added that it was uncertain if DeChambeau would play on Saturday.