{"id":138014,"date":"2025-09-12T15:50:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T15:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/138014\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T15:50:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T15:50:11","slug":"golf-stars-in-bizarre-rules-drama-at-bmw-pga-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/138014\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf stars in BIZARRE rules drama at BMW PGA Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Matt<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTwo players were involved in rules incidents at the BMW PGA Championship \u2013 with very different results. Here\u2019s what happened\u2026<\/p>\n

As the old saying goes: you wait ages for a rules drama, and then two come along at once. <\/p>\n

This time, it was Matt Fitzpatrick and Marcel Siem in the spotlight at Wentworth, where the 71st playing of the BMW PGA Championship<\/a> is taking place.<\/p>\n

Both incidents happened in the same spot \u2013 to the right of Wentworth\u2019s 18th hole \u2013 but as it turned out, one benefitted far more from their mixup than the other.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n

Well in contention for a 10th DP World Tour title \u2013 and a first in its flagship event \u2013 the Englishman pushed his tee shot into the trees that run down the right-hand side of the West course\u2019s infamous finisher.<\/p>\n

Shortly after hitting a provisional, a siren sounded to stop play as the threat of a thunder and lightning storm loomed. <\/p>\n

Before they headed back to the clubhouse, Fitzpatrick\u2019s caddie, Dan Parratt<\/a>, expressed his concern about finding the original tee shot.<\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick explained: \u201cDan said, \u2018What happens if someone goes sniffing around in the bushes and finds your ball and decides to pocket it?\u2019 I thought that was a great point, because there had to be a good chance of that happening. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo we called over a referee and explained the situation, and asked whether we should look for the ball then, rather than risk it being taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe took us over to the crowd where we reckoned my ball would have landed, and a few people there said they\u2019d seen two young boys dive into the bushes, and come out grinning with a golf ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we decided the balance of probability was that it was my ball, and that I would take a drop in that spot when we got back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around an hour and a half later, the World No.29 returned to take his drop and finish up with a bogey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made six, but if I\u2019d had to play my provisional ball it could have been worse,\u201d a relieved Fitzpatrick explained. \u201cSo those two little thieves who made off with my ball probably saved me a shot!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marcel<\/p>\n

Siem\u2019s experience on 18 wasn\u2019t quite as positive, though. <\/p>\n

Also ballooning his opening tee shot toward the out of bounds marker, the German opted to put a provisional in play. <\/p>\n

But when a spectator found his ball in the penalty area, Siem assumed the right course of action was to play on with the provisional. He was disqualified shortly after.<\/p>\n

In an post on his Instagram page<\/a>, Siem said: \u201cI just want to give you a quick insight into what happened today. I just wanted to let you know I didn\u2019t cheat, I would never do that, so I got disqualified, unfortunately.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn 18, I pushed my driver to the right, hit a provisional, thinking it\u2019s out of bounds on the right. Never knew that it\u2019s a water hazard on the right. Anyway, I was just about to hit my provisional, so my fourth shot, so to say, and one of the spectators found my ball, my first one. I walked in there, tired of the whole day already, and the ball was underneath a branch, couldn\u2019t chip it out. I said, \u2018OK, this is unplayable.\u2019 I picked the ball up, and then just stupidly hit my fourth shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cI just kept going, made a bogey, then we went into the scoring area, was just about to sign my card, and I just realized something is off here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Guys, I don\u2019t think I made a six here, let\u2019s call a referee.\u2019 Mark Clinton came, and I said, \u2018Dude, I think I made a mistake here, right? I\u2019m supposed to go back to the 18th tee box and play my third shot, right?\u2019 Because it\u2019s a water hazard, and if I declared as unplayable, I have to go back, and I cannot hit my provisional ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the case, so I was disqualified. It\u2019s very upsetting, but it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tAbout the author<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Alex
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

News editor and writer. Probably entertainer third.<\/p>\n

Alex has been in the golf industry since 2007 and has helped shape a number of publications in that time. He joined Today\u2019s Golfer in January 2025 to lead the brand\u2019s news division.<\/p>\n

He is a keen golfer who claims to play off 12 and enjoys traveling the world to try new courses. His three favorites are Royal North Devon, the Old Course at St Andrews, and Royal Portrush \u2013 with special mentions for Okehampton and Bude & North Cornwall, where he first fell in love with the game.<\/p>\n

He uses a combination of Ping, TaylorMade and Callaway gear, and once bought the Nike SQ driver which he absolutely did not immediately regret.<\/p>\n

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