DeChambeau Penalty Drama at The Open

Bryson DeChambeau was handed a controversial two-stroke penalty for improving his lie during the second round of The Open at Royal Birkdale, dropping him from solo second to tied fifth and sparking threats to quit the tournament.

R&A chief executive Mark Darbon described the decision as "clear-cut," while DeChambeau said he was "fired up" by the penalty and critics accused him of "making himself the story" through his handling of the incident.

Lucas Herbert tied the major championship single-round scoring record with a 62 to take a two-shot lead into the weekend, as New Zealand's Ryan Fox made an early charge in the third round with an outward nine of 29.

The drama unfolded in tranquil conditions at the Southport links, with one player also receiving a "serious misconduct" warning under the code of conduct, while Rory McIlroy expressed fury that Muirfield's ban on female members continued to keep the course off the Open rota.