Bryson DeChambeau was handed a penalty for his behaviour at Royal Birkdale, prompting plenty of falloutKylee Hansen Golf Reporter and Tom Victor Senior Sports Journalist
09:45, 18 Jul 2026
Justin Thomas was left frustrated after day two of The Open(Image: Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
Justin Thomas expressed his frustration as stars at The Open Championship faced a long wait for their third round tee times. The delay came amid a controversial ruling involving Bryson DeChambeau which at one stage looked like it could prompt the American to withdraw.
DeChambeau, 32, was given a two-stroke penalty following his behaviour on the fifth hole. He was accused of ‘inadvertently improving his lie’ by stepping back to flatten down long grass but argued he was simply attempting to read his shot.
It took officials more than 90 minutes to settle on a ruling after former US Open champion DeChambeau completed his round. This meant other players were left waiting for confirmation on tee times when they might have wanted to be in bed.
16-time PGA Tour winner Thomas was one of those to express frustration at the wait. “Can we get some 3rd round tee times please???” Thomas he wrote on social media at 10:38pm local time.
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The outburst came as officials and DeChambeau’s camp concluded that the two-stroke penalty was warranted for improving his lie. The LIV Golf star threatened to pull out of the tournament altogether in protest at what he considered an unjust decision but eventually decided to keep playing.
“Obviously disappointed with the ruling,” he wrote on X. “I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it.”
Were it not for the penalty, DeChambeau would have ended Friday’s play just one shot adrift of leader Lucas Herbert. Instead, he is in a tie for fifth along with Sam Burns and Kim Si-woo.
DeChambeau didn’t agree with the ruling against him(Image: Richard Heathcote, Getty Images)
The irritation follows the American’s failure to make the cut at the opening three majors of the campaign. The run drew criticism from numerous quarters, including Sir Nick Faldo, who insisted he had “zero clue of strategy.”
DeChambeau recorded a four-under-66 on Friday before the two-shot penalty was applied, alongside a three-under during the opening round. The rules infringement appeared to infuriate the player as he travelled back on the cart with rules officials, adjusting his hat and carrying on discussions about the regulation during the journey.
He spent considerable time in the recording tent following a recreation of the shot. Ultimately the R&A formally issued the penalty with referee Grant Moir issuing a statement.
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“Ruling 1 restricts what the player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke. And this includes the area of the player’s intended swing,” Moir said.
“So an improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke, so that the player gains a potential advantage for the stroke. Now I will stress that this applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson’s case.
“The area of the intended swing includes the entire area that might reasonably affect the backswing, the downswing or the completion of the swing for the intended stroke. And, importantly, what the prohibited action here is, that the player mustn’t move, bend or break any growing or attached natural object.
“A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance if, in some situations, that improves the conditions affecting the stroke. But when doing so, the player must take the least intrusive course of action to deal with the particular situation, and is not entitled to a normal stance or swing.
“I reiterate, this applies even when there’s no intention to improve the area, as was the case with Bryson. That’s all I have to say.”