Bryson DeChambeau says the decision to give him a two-shot penalty for "inadvertently improving his lie", "fires me up" for the final two rounds of the championship this weekend.

Bryson DeChambeau says he disagrees with the decision to give him a two-shot penalty during the second round of The Open at Royal Birkdale. The American looked to have lifted himself to one shot off the lead on seven under par with a four-under 66 in round two, but was whisked away by officials when he walked off the course to discuss a rules infringement. DeChambeau was accused of trampling on long grass close to his ball on the fifth hole. After a long discussion with Open rules officials, it was confirmed he had been given a two-shot penalty for "inadvertently improving his lie", pushing him back to five under par and three shots behind leader Lucas Herbert. The two-time US Open champion wrote on X: "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 had earlier not answered questions when he walked past the assembled media after emerging from the recorders' office, where he spent more than 20 minutes discussing the issue with officials including R&A chief executive Mark Darbon. DeChambeau then added that he was off to "hit some balls" and headed off to the driving range, where he posed for a selfie with fans before talking to his team on the practice area. Bryson DeChambeau has dropped from second on the leaderboard to tied fifth at the halfway stage