SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Player conduct on the golf course has long been part of the Rules of Golf. This is the first time all four majors have released codes for players, and the impact is already being felt.
Sergio Garcia received a warning at the Masters after hitting his driver twice on the ground and then into a water cooler table.
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The USGA chose to avoid a warning and give Joaquin Niemann a two-stroke penalty for swinging his wedge twice off the course and into thick rough on the 15th hole (No. 6) at Sinek Hills in the first round of the U.S. Open. There were no spectators near where the club landed on the dunes.
A two-stroke penalty turned his nine strokes into 11 on that hole, giving him a 78. Still, he tied for 7th place.
Is it working?
Jon Rahm calls himself a “intense” player, but he doesn’t care about the code of conduct. His only question is: Who does it apply to? This is because, although the principles and penalties are similar across the four majors, how they are applied is left to the discretion of each major.
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Rahm said, “I think that’s good. I understand.” “They have a code of conduct and they enforce it. Why not? It doesn’t change the way I play. Going from zero to penalties? I don’t know.”
The R&A’s conduct policy states: “If a player’s (or his caddy’s) behavior departs significantly from that expected in the spirit of the game of golf, pursuant to Rule 1.2b, the Referee, in consultation with the Chief Championship Officer, may issue an official warning or apply a penalty of two strokes or disqualification, taking into account the frequency, impact or potential impact, intent and severity of the misconduct. An official warning is not necessarily required.” A two-stroke penalty or disqualification should be given before being applied. ”
Rahm was playing Garcia in the final round at Augusta National when Garcia threw a tantrum. He still doesn’t know exactly what happened to Neiman. However, his views on this policy made him question why this received more attention than the pace of play.
“Sergio got a warning. I think Gioaco probably deserves a warning, but I don’t know what he did,” Rahm said. “Our policy on pace play is that you get a warning, you get another caution and then you can get a penalty.”
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Rahm suggested that a warning was warranted for the first attack, especially in the first round.
Faldo questions DeChambeau’s strategy
Bryson DeChambeau failed to qualify for the first three majors this year. Nick Faldo also wouldn’t be surprised if the American missed this weekend’s British Open.
“I’ll tell you to your face, DeChambeau has no clue of strategy,” the three-time British Open champion said on the Sky Sports Golf podcast.
Faldo questioned DeChambeau’s aggressive approach to links golf, saying he needs more creativity and “needs to look at the bumps.”
“You don’t think, ‘Oh, let’s just blow it up there, we don’t know where it’s going to go,'” Fuld said.
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DeChambeau has finished in the top 10 twice in eight Open Championship matches, including a tie for 10th at Royal Portrush last year.
Justin Rose has no regrets
Justin Rose tied for fourth at the 1998 British Open at Royal Birkdale as a 17-year-old amateur and turned pro a week later.
When he turned pro, he famously missed the cut 20 times in a row. He has only one major tournament under his belt, the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. This is one of his 25 wins around the world, including an Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 when golf returned to the Olympic Games.
He was asked on Tuesday if this was what he envisioned when he left Royal Birkdale 28 years ago. Although impossible to answer, Rose ultimately said he would admit to what he had done.
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“Twenty-eight years later, I’m playing in the British Open Championship,” he said. “If you think about it that way, just maintaining the will to be here is still a great accomplishment.
“Could I have won more of what I’ve won? Yes. Do I want to be a multiple major champion? Yes. Do I think I could have come close to a Grand Slam? Yes. I’ve had performances that have come close to that territory. So with a little bit of luck here and there, I could be sitting here with a completely different career.”
However, he was satisfied with his career, which included five stints at world No.1. And his hope is to be satisfied with everything he has achieved and to be given the freedom to achieve more.
Please wake up, Lord Rory?
Rory McIlroy, one of Britain’s greatest sports stars of all time, continues to wait to be knighted.
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“If that honor was given to me one day, that would be great,” McIlroy said Tuesday.
So what’s the holdup? After all, it’s been more than a year since he became the only European golfer to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters.
Some British media outlets have reported that tax issues may be the reason, and that this was brought up during McIlroy’s press conference.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Nick Faldo, who also has six major titles, was knighted.
British Open prize fund increases slightly
The British Open increased its total prize money to $17.5 million, the smallest increase of the four majors, but still has the lowest total prize money.
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The Masters increased its funding by $1.5 million to $22.5 million. The PGA Championship also increased by $1.5 million to $20.5 million. The U.S. Open increased prize money by $1 million to $22.5 million.
The R&A announced that the prize money would be increased by $750,000, with the winner receiving $3.2 million, $100,000 more than Scottie Scheffler won last year.
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US Open runner-up Sam Burns was at Royal Birkdale on Monday for the British Open. His original plan was to miss the final Major because his wife was due to give birth to their second child. When her daughter was born the first week of July, Burns traveled. … Scottie Scheffler famously wanted to dress like a PGA Tour player as a boy, always wearing pants to look the part, even in the Dallas summer heat. He wore shorts while practicing for the British Open. “I’d like to think I’ve become less stupid since I was a kid,” Scheffler said. “One of the good decisions I made was to start wearing shorts sometimes when it’s hot.”
