Overview
- R&A officials confirmed a two-shot penalty for Bryson DeChambeau after they reviewed spectator and broadcast video showing him trampling long fescue near his ball on the fifth hole.
- Tournament staff called DeChambeau back to the fifth hole after he signed his card, leading to a prolonged, tense exchange with rules officials and a later statement from his manager that DeChambeau was considering withdrawal.
- DeChambeau chose to continue playing and shot a 69 in the third round, leaving him four strokes behind the lead as the Open moved into moving day.
- Prominent voices split over the ruling, with Rory McIlroy, Sir Nick Faldo and Brandel Chamblee backing the penalty and calling DeChambeau’s actions performative while Xander Schauffele and Max Homa publicly defended his intent.
- The episode has reignited debate about golf’s self-policing tradition, the fairness of retroactive penalties triggered by fan video, and how DeChambeau’s high-profile persona and LIV Golf ties shape scrutiny of his conduct.