Bryson DeChambeau received a two-stroke penalty following his second round at the Open Championship in Southport, England, after R&A officials determined he inadvertently improved the area of his intended swing. The ruling centered on the par-4 fifth hole, where footage showed DeChambeau stamping down tall grass near his ball. This violation of Rule 8 turned his bogey 5 into a triple-bogey 7, changing his round from a 4-under 66 to a 68. Consequently, DeChambeau dropped from solo second place to a tie for fifth, leaving him three shots behind leader Lucas Herbert.
The penalty sparked a heated, animated exchange between DeChambeau and rules officials, leading to initial doubts about whether the American would return for the weekend. While his agent suggested he might not play, DeChambeau later posted on social media that he was fired up for the weekend. The incident drew criticism from world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who described the conduct as performative and suggested DeChambeau held the tournament hostage. However, others like Xander Schauffele believed DeChambeau could have been given the benefit of the doubt, while R&A chief executive Mark Darbon maintained the decision was clear-cut.
In a separate conduct matter, Jon Rahm was issued an official code-of-conduct warning after throwing his club following a poor tee shot on the par-3 15th hole. Rahm, who shot 3-under 67 to sit four shots off the lead, was informed of the warning as he approached the 17th hole. According to the R&A's serious misconduct policy, a second offense would result in a two-shot penalty, while a third would lead to disqualification. Rahm acknowledged that he should not have reacted that way but attributed the outburst to his intense and passionate nature.