Friday proved once again that Bryson DeChambeau is golf's content king.
For roughly an hour after his round, it appeared as though DeChambeau would be in the final group Saturday at The Open after a 4-under 66 left him solo second behind Lucas Herbert.
However, DeChambeau was confronted by rules officials following his 18th hole and driven back to the fifth hole at Royal Birkdale to discuss an incident from earlier in the round. While playing that hole, the two-time U.S. Open winner drove his ball in the penalty area but was able to hack out of the thick rough and ultimately save a bogey.
Rules officials were then alerted to a potential infraction by DeChambeau. After a lengthy - and animated - discussion between the parties, DeChambeau was eventually assessed a two-stroke penalty for inadvertently improving his lie, changing his score to a 68. He dropped out of second place and into a tie for fifth as a result.
That leaves Herbert with a two-shot lead on Cameron Young and Jackson Suber after the Australian tied the lowest round in major championship history with an 8-under 62. Sam Burns then matched that record just 20 minutes afterward to move within three of the lead.
| Place | Player | Total to par | Round 2 score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Herbert | -8 | 62 |
| T-2 | Cameron Young | -6 | 67 |
| T-2 | Jackson Suber | -6 | 69 |
| T-2 | Ryan Gerard | -6 | 67 |
| T-5 | Bryson DeChambeau | -5 | 68 |
| T-5 | Sam Burns | -5 | 62 |
| T-5 | Si Woo Kim | -5 | 67 |
| T-8 | Scottie Scheffler | -4 | 68 |
| T-8 | Tommy Fleetwood | -4 | 67 |
| T-8 | Jon Rahm | -4 | 67 |
| T-8 | Bud Cauley | -4 | 68 |
| T-8 | Robert MacIntyre | -4 | 69 |
| T-8 | Alex Fitzpatrick | -4 | 67 |
| T-8 | Francesco Molinari | -4 | 69 |
| T-8 | Thomas Detry | -4 | 69 |
| T-8 | Matt Wallace | -4 | 67 |
DeChambeau's penalty certainly changed the mood around what had been a brilliant day of golf in northwest England. Only a significant storyline could have knocked Herbert's and Burns' record-tying rounds from the top spot, but DeChambeau did so with both his play and subsequent infraction.
DeChambeau's ball-striking was exceptional for the second straight day, putting him among the top five in the field in both driving and approach play. The only thing keeping him from running away at Birkdale is a balky putter. He finished his second round ranked 126th in putting for the championship.
Now he'll certainly have added motivation to make a weekend charge and try to claim his third major title.
