Bryson DeChambeau returned to Royal Birkdale determined to overcome a recent rules controversy and refocus on his Open challenge. The two-time US Open champion faced a two-shot penalty following his second round on Friday, impacting his performance.

After shooting a commendable four-under-par 66, DeChambeau was poised just one stroke behind halfway leader Lucas Herbert. However, his penalty arose from inadvertently improving his swing path by stepping on long grass around his ball in the rough on the fifth hole, dropping his score to five under for the tournament. Despite initial thoughts of withdrawing in protest, DeChambeau expressed that the incident would fuel his motivation:

"Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it," he posted on X.

On Saturday, he arrived at the course just after 2 PM, ahead of his scheduled tee time of 3:30 PM, ready to compete in the third last group alongside Sam Burns.

The ruling sparked significant drama, as DeChambeau confronted rules officials and even practiced late into the night to clear his mind. His controversy overshadowed Lucas Herbert’s impressive performance, who led with a record-equalling round of 62. Burns, finishing five under, matched Herbert’s eight-under round.

As the tournament progressed, conditions turned cooler and cloudier. Ryan Fox capitalized on this, escalating from level par to eight under after 17 holes. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy faced a challenging start in his quest to regain contention.