Bryson DeChambeau Might Quit the British Open After His Penalty. Here's Why That Would Be Idiotic of Him

Bryson DeChambeau had a bonkers ending to his second round of the British Open on Friday. First, he rolled in a birdie putt on the 18th hole that put him in second place heading into the weekend. Then, he headed to the scorer's table and was told he would be getting a two-shot penalty for improving his lie hours before on the fifth hole.

What followed was a scene that we had never witnessed before at a major championship as he and a few rules officials rode out to the fifth hole to go over what he did and didn't do on his second shot that led to the penalty. They stood in the long rough just right of the green for a while and DeChambeau could be seen arguing his case while raising his arms in a mix of anger and disbelief.

Winners and Losers From Second Round of British Open: The TV Broadcast Had One Major Failure

Moments later the penalty was confirmed and he dropped from second place to a tie for fifth. Then an even more shocking development happened-DeChambeau's agent said there is a chance he could decide to withdraw from the championship and will make the decision to play or leave on Saturday before his third-round tee time.

Bryson DeChambeau has not confirmed if he will continue playing The Open after receiving a 2-shot penalty.@ToddLewisGC reports from Royal Birkdale while DeChambeau works on the range pic.twitter.com/JiUGeFMb82

- Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026

If DeChambeau decides to quit and head home it would be the dumbest decision that he could ever make and it would be one of the most embarrassing things we've seen in the history of professional golf.

DeChambeau has every right to be upset about his two-shot penalty. It stinks when you get called out for something and then get punished for it. But you know what? That's life. When adversity like that happens you have to handle it like an adult and get through it, not run from it, which is what DeChambeau would be doing if he packed up his stuff and left town.

It would also be really idiotic because DeChambeau is still very much in contention at a major championship. He's only three shots behind the leader, Lucas Herbert, and with the way he's playing through the first two rounds there's no reason to think he can't charge back up the leaderboard and be a factor on Sunday. These kind of opportunities do not happen a lot in a golfer's career and for him to throw it away over being called for a rules violation would be ridiculous.

This isn't the first time a player has been issued a brutal penalty in a major championship. At the 2013 Masters Tiger Woods was informed before his third round that he had been penalized two shots for what was deemed an illegal drop during his second round. Did the greatest golfer of all time throw a fit and head for the airport? No, he didn't. Instead he grabbed his clubs and went out and played the final two rounds.

Was Friday's ruling against DeChambeau stunning? Absolutely. But the rules officials did their job, and then some. They gave DeChambeau an opportunity to state his case and they even drove out to the scene of the penalty and listened to every loud word he had to say.

Earlier vs. currently on the 5th hole



Bryson DeChambeau goes from setup to contact, while he explains his perspective on the incident with rules officials hours later pic.twitter.com/ORgImmdVka

- Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026

In the end they decided that DeChambeau was deserving of a penalty. Golf, like every other sport, has rules and if officials feel those rules have been broken-either on purpose or by accident-they have to enforce those rules.

DeChambeau would be foolish to throw away the opportunity he has in front of him at the British Open. He knows how hard it is to get in the position-he's missed the cut in the three previous majors this year.

Chances are he'll wake up Saturday morning and realize the right thing to do is to get back to work and get back to trying to win a third major championship of his career.

If he decides to leave, it will be a decision he'll regret for the rest of his life. And he'll have nobody to blame but himself.

More Golf from Sports Illustrated

• Bryson DeChambeau Gets Stunning Two-Shot Penalty After His Second Round at British Open. Here's What He Did
• Winners and Losers From Second Round of British Open: The TV Broadcast Had One Major Failure
• Lucas Herbert Had a Chance to Make Golf Major History. He Missed a Short Putt.
• The British Open Experience Is Unlike Any Other Major Championship

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This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 6:09 PM.