DeChambeau Blames Two-Shot Penalty for Missing Open Championship Claret Jug
Quick Look
- Bryson DeChambeau believes a two-shot penalty at the Open Championship's 5th hole at Royal Birkdale cost him the Claret Jug.
- Despite a strong start, the penalty changed his second-round score, dropping him on the leaderboard, and he finished six shots behind winner Ryan Fox.
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Why It Matters
Bryson DeChambeau received a retrospective two-stroke penalty at the 5th hole of the Open Championship after officials ruled he improved his backswing area by flattening long grass, changing his second-round score from 66 to 68.
Bryson DeChambeau believes he would have been “right there for the Claret Jug” if he had not received a two-shot penalty in the Open Championship last week at Royal Birkdale.
DeChambeau made a positive start to last week’s tournament after opening with a 67 and then a 66 on Friday, but his second-round score was later adjusted to 68 after he was handed a retrospective two-stroke penalty at the 5th hole after a video review. The 32-year-old was punished after match officials ruled he had improved the area of his backswing by standing on and flattening some long grass.
DeChambeau was in the mix at the top of the leaderboard but he dropped from second to fifth in the standings after his bogey was subsequently turned into a triple bogey. The American protested against the decision and even threatened to pull out of the tournament, but he played through the weekend and made 69 in the third round before a final-day 72.
Ryan Fox clinched victory to claim his first ever major championship at 10 under and DeChambeau finished six shots back at four under, but he feels the two-shot penalty played a pivotal role in his weekend.
DeChambeau is now playing in LIV Golf UK at the JCB Golf and Country Club near Uttoxeter and he said there: “Yeah, I made the cut. It was a good fight. I wish I’d have given it more on Saturday and Sunday, it felt like I could have.
“Besides the 5th, being three over on it, and the 11th, that’s six shots. That’s tied for the lead right there. Two holes and I’m right there for the Claret Jug.”
After missing the cut in his previous three major championships, DeChambeau’s tied 14th place finish gave him his strongest performance in a major since he was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at the 2025 US PGA Championship.
