A two-stroke penalty at the 2026 Open Championship put “improving your lie” back in the spotlight. This piece explains exactly what Rule 8.1a covers, what you’re allowed to do when your ball ends up somewhere awkward, and where the line sits.
When Bryson DeChambeau picked up a two-shot penalty during the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, it wasn’t for anything deliberate.
Walking up to his ball in thick rough, he took a few high steps that flattened the grass around it and under the Rules of Golf, that was enough. The incident put a spotlight on one of the most misunderstood areas of the rules: what you’re actually allowed to do with the area surrounding your ball before you play a shot.
The Moment: At the 5th hole during the second round, DeChambeau’s ball came to rest in tall fescue rough. As he approached it to play his second shot, he stepped around the ball several times, and the grass behind it was flattened as a result improving the area of his intended swing. Rules officials reviewed footage after his round and assessed a two-stroke penalty, changing what would have been a bogey into a triple bogey.
What the Rule Says: Rule 8 is built on a simple idea: play the course as you find it. Rule 8.1a sets out that a player must not improve the conditions affecting their stroke. That means their lie, their stance, their swing area, or their line of play by moving, bending or breaking anything growing or attached, like grass, bushes or branches.
Crucially, this applies whether or not you meant to do it. The rule doesn’t ask whether you intended to gain an advantage only whether your actions improved your situation. That’s why intent didn’t save DeChambeau from the penalty: officials were clear that even though his steps weren’t deliberate, the effect was the same as if they had been.
There are some everyday actions you’re still allowed to take, even if they happen to improve things slightly. You can fairly search for your ball. You can remove loose impediments like leaves or twigs, and movable obstructions like a rake. You can mark, lift and replace your ball under the usual rules. And you can ground your club lightly right in front of or behind the ball. What you can’t do is take a heavier-handed route to your ball, or through your swing area, than the situation actually requires.
The Answer: Improving your lie, stance, swing area or line of play -deliberately or not – carries the general penalty: two strokes in stroke play, or loss of hole in match play. The only exceptions are the specific, narrow actions the rules already allow, such as fair searching, removing loose impediments, or lightly grounding your club.
What This Means in Practice: Most club golfers will never be reviewed on video, but the principle still applies every time your ball lands somewhere such as long grass, a bush, undergrowth near a penalty area. Take the most direct, least disruptive route to your ball. Don’t stamp down grass, snap branches out of the way, or clear a path any wider than you actually need to reach it and take your stance. If in doubt, take the gentlest option available.
Read More: This sits within Rule 8’s wider “play it as it lies” principle — a fuller Foundation Feature on this is on our content roadmap; check back soon for the complete guide.
Rule Reference:
Rule 8.1a — Actions That Improve Conditions Affecting the Stroke, Rules of Golf 2023 (R&A/USGA)
