2026 Open takeaways: Bryson DeChambeau's improvement overshadowed, ball strikers reigning

Lost in the hoopla and brouhaha of the Bryson DeChambeau rules fiasco that took place Friday at The Open Championship is the fact that a damn good golf tournament has broken out, and DeChambeau himself played some damn great golf to put himself into contention at Royal Birkdale.

DeChambeau would have liked to be 7 under and only one stroke behind Lucas Herbert entering the weekend. He would have liked to carry the momentum he garnered coming down the stretch of a second round that he finished birdie-birdie to shoot what he thought was a stunning 66 (but was actually a 68). He would have liked to be in the final group on Saturday.

And although the conversation centered around grass and whether DeChambeau stomped some down to improve his swing path on the par-4 5th, it's the stones he should be listening to as he drives away from the course Friday evening following a prolonged range session.

As The Rolling Stones once sang, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you find you get what you need."

DeChambeau's playing status for Saturday's third round was initially up in the air, though he confirmed Friday night that he will be playing the weekend, using the penalty as additional motivation.

All of this is DeChambeau being DeChambeau. He stirs the pot. He's immature. He longs for the spotlight. He is a showman, after all. If Friday served as a friendly reminder, he is (really) good at stirring up attention. It would be shocking if he gave up a golden opportunity to win the Claret Jug from three adrift, especially given everything that has occurred.

And plenty has occurred: criticism of missing three straight cuts in major championships, claims of lacking strategy and chasing goals outside of professional golf, becoming a punching bag of sorts for traditionalists.

In DeChambeau's mind, the two-stroke penalty is another line item on the list of unfair actions towards him. So why not put the R&A on high alert? Add it to the fire that is fueling this run of spectacular golf through 36 holes.

DeChambeau is playing with house money; there should be zero thought of folding no matter how poor the bluff. Rather, he should push his chip pile into the center, look everyone at the table in the eyes and go all in.

Ball strikers galore

Amid all the drama, what has taken place on this golf course is a big ol' bash filled with the who's who of ball strikers. Of the top 10 ball strikers through 36 holes, only two (!) rank inside the top 100 in terms of putting and neither of them (Cameron Young, Shane Lowry) rank inside the top 50!

There is still so much golf left to be played, and with it comes breaks good and bad. Perhaps the next two days will be as simple as the course determining which players finally start holing putts with consistency.

Top 10 ball strikers (putting rank)

1. Jon Rahm (137th)
2. Scottie Scheffler (128th)
3. Bryson DeChambeau (112th)
4. Rory McIlroy (132nd)
5. Cameron Young (52nd)
6. Alex Noren (148th)
7. Patrick Reed (104th)
8. Shane Lowry (89th)
9. Ben Griffin (147th)
10. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (117th)

Where's the line?

Joaquin Niemann was assessed a two-stroke penalty at Shinnecock Hills for throwing his club 50 yards near the end of his first round. The USGA determined it was serious misconduct under Rule 1.2b. This came after Sergio Garcia was given a warning by Augusta National for an outburst in the final round of the Masters, where he beat up the tee box on the par-5 2nd and broke his driver against a cooler. Robert MacIntyre was also reminded of the code of conduct in the year's first major for his behavior.

Per the broadcast, Jon Rahm received a code-of-conduct warning from a rules official for tomahawking his club on the 15th tee.

Cleaning up player behavior and ensuring the game remains gentlemanly is fine, but where is the line? What separates Niemann's club throw (it must have been the stuff of legends) from Garcia's actions or Rahm's toss?

Is the game gone?

A return to Royal Birkdale brought back many memories, but it was also a reminder of where the game stands. As players get longer and technology continues to be leveraged, everyone and everything has become more efficient. That was apparent in Round 2 where not one but two players tied the major championship scoring record in a single round with Herbert and Sam Burns both signing for record-tying 62s.

There are now seven 62s in the history of major championship golf. All have occurred since the 2017 Open when Brendan Grace became the first to sign for the magic number. Since then, two have been carded at each Los Angeles Country Club (U.S. Open) and Valhalla Golf Club (PGA Championship). Only the Masters has been able to stave off a score below 63. It is a par 72, which does help.

Friday was a historic day, and Herbert and Burns should be celebrated for their performances. The way they arrived at 62, in completely different emotional states and cadences, was enthralling to watch unfold. To hear them discuss it was equally fascinating, too.

"I'm absolutely disappointed, and at the same time, so proud of today," Herbert said. "Very, very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship. So it's kind of holding two emotions there at the same time. It's a tricky one, and I'm sure once the dust settles, I'll be able to sort of decompress it a little bit. Right now I've sort of got both going on, and it's a pretty good problem to have too, to be disappointed you shot 62."

As for Burns? "I had no idea until they told me up there. I didn't realize that was the case," he said.

Like grandfather, like grandson

One of the cooler stories brewing is that, in his Open debut, Pierceson Coody finds himself inside the top 20 heading into the weekend. On the surface, that means little to many, but once you understand that his grandfather is the Masters champion Charles Coody, it becomes quite awesome.

"Tuesday was actually his birthday, so I gave him a call Tuesday afternoon," Pierceson Coody said. "I was telling him about some of the holes when he played them and asking how they're different and whatnot now and some of the lines. He remembers a decent amount of the holes. He has a great memory for golf. 

"Yeah, I'm sure he's very invested, and I know he's been watching on ShotLink. He's going to say we need to get the ball in the fairway a few more times and hit a few more greens from that short to mid-range. Giving away some easy bogeys there. Luckily, I'm still doing some of the things well, so hopefully I can have a hot 36 holes with ball-striking."

As Coody revealed, his grandfather turned 89 earlier this week. In a career that included a Masters victory, the elder Coody played in just one Open in 1971 and finished T5. It was, coincidentally, held at Royal Birkdale.

"If I'm doing the things that he did over his 25-plus-year career, I'm doing really well," Coody said. "Yeah, I know he played well here. I know it was his only British Open, unfortunately. Just as he says, back then, the expenses didn't make sense to come play and whatnot. 

"It's unfortunate because his game was really good for this style of golf. Just a really pure ball striker. It is really special. I understand the meaning of it and have thought about it quite a bit. It's definitely a moment to kind of relish and think about maybe on Sunday walking down 18."

The brothers Fitzpatrick

As everyone predicted, Fitzpatrick has found his way inside the top 10 at the halfway point ... it's just ... not the Fitzpatrick most expected. Matt Fitzpatrick, the world No. 3 and potential PGA Tour Player of the Year, was sent home after dueling 72s put him a few strokes south of the cutline.

His younger brother, Alex, meanwhile, played terrific golf on Friday, balancing four birdies against a bogey on the last in the afternoon to catapult himself into this championship. The two are sharing accommodations this week, though conversations about today's events are unlikely.

On whether the two discuss performances with one another, Alex said: "No, no, I just leave him to do his stats, and I'll just watch my TV."

Remember the name

One of the best parts of major championships is golf fans finding out new information about players they might not otherwise. This week, that may be Jackson Suber, who slept on the first-round lead after opening with a 65 and backed it up with a respectable 69 on Friday. Suber earned himself a late tee time on Saturday, even though it is his first time in Europe and his first time playing links golf. All of this makes it time to put some respect on his name. Not Jackson Suber, but his full name, which stretches back generations within his family.

"My full name is John Weatherington Suber III," Suber said. "My grandfather is John Weatherington Suber Sr., and then my dad was Jr., he goes by Jack. So, I'm Jackson, if that makes any sense."

Some serious fight

It's always cool to see all these guys battle the cutline, especially a young player like Jose Luis Ballester. Playing in his second Open, the former U.S. Amateur champion signed for a 71 and found himself on the wrong side of the cutline by three strokes with only two holes to play. Then, magic happened. The 22-year-old made eagle on No. 17 and rattled the pin with his approach on the last, where he tapped in for birdie and secured his place on the tee sheet this weekend.

Unless something biblical occurs, Ballester will not be winning this Open, but you could see how much the back nine meant to him Friday evening. He lived and died on every shot and every stroke of the putter just so he could get two more strolls around Royal Birkdale in a major championship environment.