Open chief ref on DeChambeau penalty: Rule applies even without intention to improve lie
Grant Moir, chief referee of the R&A, explains the rules behind Bryson DeChambeau's two-shot penalty on the fifth hole at Royal Birkdale.
Video Transcript
Bryson has been penalized, two strokes for inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing, so intended backswing, on the fifth hole, when he was playing his second shot.
Basically, I'm gonna explain the technicalities of the, the rule here for you.
Rule eight-one restricts what a player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke.
And this includes the area of the player's intended swing.
So an improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke, so that the player gains a potential advantage for the stroke.
Now, I would stress that this applies, even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson's case.
The area of intended swing includes the entire area that might reasonably affect any part of the backswing, the downswing, or the completion of the swing for the intended stroke.
And importantly, what the prohibited action here is that the player mustn't move, bend, or break any growing or attached natural object.
A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance if, in some situations, that improves the condition affecting the stroke.
But when doing so, the player must take the least intrusive course of action to deal with the particular situation and is not entitled to a normal stance or swing.
I would reiterate, this rule applies even when there's no intention, to improve the area, as was the case with Bryson.
That's all I have to say.
Okay.
If I can just say, please field the questions to us on the media team.
I'm sure there will be some.
We'll do our best to answer them, but Grant's got a lot to get on with, in the wake of this, so.
That gives you the background.
As I say, any questions, we, we'll do, do our best to answer them through the media team.
Okay?
Okay.
How, how should we do that?
Next question.
What's the rule number?
Eight-point-one.
