R&A denies Bryson DeChambeau's unusual request after Open ruling

The R&A turned down Bryson DeChambeau’s request for his Friday scorecard after a two-stroke penalty altered his second round at the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. The denied request came after officials ruled that DeChambeau had breached Rule 8.1 on the fifth hole, a decision that changed his score from 66 to 68.

Officials said DeChambeau had “inadvertently improved the area of his intended swing,” and the ruling followed an on-course rules review and reenactment that drew attention late on Friday. The penalty left DeChambeau initially appearing one shot off the lead before the adjustment was applied, and it turned a strong round into one of the championship’s most scrutinized moments.

DeChambeau later visited the championship office to ask for his Friday scorecard, a request that was denied. He also told the R&A that he was declining to speak to TV or print media, extending a media blackout while he remained in contention. Reports at the time said he considered withdrawing, but he went on to play the weekend.

The episode quickly became a rules debate as much as a scoreline issue. Rory McIlroy called the penalty “pretty obvious” and later accused DeChambeau of trying to “hold the tournament hostage.” Mark Darbon, the R&A chief executive, defended the ruling as “clear-cut,” while chief rules referee Grant Moir also explained the incident and decision publicly.

DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion and the captain of LIV Golf’s Crushers GC, has won five LIV Golf titles and carries a large global following into every major. At Royal Birkdale, that profile made the ruling land harder, especially because the penalty was tied to an area where officials said the evidence showed a rules breach, while the response from DeChambeau raised separate questions about access, transparency and how golf’s major championships manage scrutiny in real time.

The episode also underscored a persistent tension inside the sport’s governance: officials said cameras are not on every player all the time, yet video review can make one player’s mistake feel more visible than another’s. In a championship built on uniform rules and tradition, the DeChambeau ruling showed how quickly a single decision can become a test of both fairness and credibility.