NBC Sports' lead voice and legendary sports broadcaster Mike Tirico watched Bryson DeChambeau in action on Friday. However, he did so, taking up an unexpected role.

Tirico will be part of the broadcast team on the weekend, but he made sure to enjoy the Friday afternoon differently.

Interestingly, he took up the role of a spotter.

“You help the people up there in the truck,” Tirico told GOLF on Friday. “You call up and say, ‘so and so’s hitting next, he’s hitting his second shot.’ You’re watching every shot for every player in making sure the broadcast knows the hitting order and what the shot ultimately does.” 

Tirico walked through all the holes on day two alongside DeChambeau’s group. He provided detailed information to the production truck as he tracked the players, their golf balls, and club selections.

The 59-year-old performed the role eagerly and learned more about the game in the process. He took the moment in and watched DeChambeau put in a solid performance.

“Honestly I just wanted to learn the job,” Tirico said, as reported by James Colgan of GOLF. “If you learn how things work behind the scenes, hopefully it makes you better. I’ve covered major championships since 1997; I’ve never been inside the ropes for a full round at a major. Every shot was incredible.”

Interestingly, Tirico did not find anything unusual with DeChambeau’s shot on the 5th hole that cost him a two-stroke penalty.

After an interesting day inside the ropes, Tirico will return to the booth Saturday with fresh insight into the production workflow.

Although Tirico did not spot any discrepancy in DeChambeau’s action, the R&A made things clear about the ruling.

The R&A clears the air on the imposed penalty on Bryson DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau and the R&A officials had a lengthy discussion about the situation on the 5th hole. Grant Moir, the executive director of governance for The R&A, explained their decision.

"A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance...," Moir told reporters, as per the PGA Tour. "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." 

As a result, DeChambeau's bogey turned into a triple-bogey, dropping his score from 4-under 66 to 68. 

Fans remain divided over the ruling, as many, like Tirico, found nothing wrong with DeChambeau’s actions. 

Initially one stroke off the lead, DeChambeau was three strokes behind leader Lucas Herbert at the end of round two because of the penalty.

What are your thoughts on DeChambeau’s two-stroke penalty? Share them in the comments.

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Kalp Thaker