Bryson DeChambeau was issued a two-stroke penalty at The Open Championship for illegally improving the conditions affecting his stroke, dramatically hurting his chances of winning at Royal Birkdale.
On the fifth hole on Friday, DeChambeau hit his tee shot far right, past the red stake penalty area and into tall grass that was more than waist-high. He elected to play the ball as it lay and not take a penalty, and moved through the grass behind his ball before eventually taking a shot. DeChambeau bogeyed the hole, but rallied from there and believed he had shot a 66 and was at 7 under par for the tournament, one behind leader Lucas Herbert.