Getty Image
Controversy hit the BMW Championship in Colorado during Sunday’s final round. An incident involving Matt Fitzpatrick sparked drama that even group partner Scottie Scheffler got upset about.
Midway through his final day of play, Fitzpatrick approached rules officials to notify them of a crack in his driver. While noticeable, the PGA Tour deemed the damage unworthy of allowing the golfer a replacement.
Fitzpatrick pleaded with those officials on the course, noting that he’d had a pair of backup drivers in the clubhouse. Those pleas fell on deaf ears at Castle Pines Golf Club!
View this post on Instagram
More on that conversation from Golf Magic:
Fitzpatrick: “It’s caved in. There’s an obvious crack there that’s causing a defect of ball flight.”
Rules Official: “We have said no..”
Fitzpatrick: “So I’m going to have to use 3-wood for the rest of the day? That’s what you’re telling me?”
Rules Official: “I’m going to talk to Steven who is the chief referee, and I’ll meet you on the tee.”
Fitzpatrick: “This is outrageous, it’s an absolute disgrace. I’ve literally just watched a ball do a completely different thing from the whole morning. It couldn’t be more obvious…”
Rules Official: “But that’s not part of the local rule, to be able to change the driver.”
Fitzpatrick: “Yeah I understand the rule, but at the end of the day, it’s your opinion. It’s opinion, not fact.”
Rules Official: “But the local rule says ‘significant damage’.”
Fitzpatrick: “But again, that’s your opinion of that. The fact is there is literally a crack in the driver that is causing the ball to fly funny. That’s a fact.”
The ruling was viewed as so egregious in the eyes of bystanders that even playing partner Scottie Scheffler got involved.
“You can feel the crack. The damage to the club is making the club not perform,” he said. “It’s been damaged throughout the course of play. That’s the first shot offline he’s hit all day, and it carried about 80 yards shorter.”
Matt Fitzpatrick would pull his next drive well off the fairway, only adding to his frustrations.
The PGA Tour referenced USGA Rule G-9 in its explanation.
Under the USGA’s Model Local Rule G-9, a club is not replaceable solely because of a crack, and Fitzpatrick was not permitted to replace the club at the time due to lack of significant damage.
There is also rule 4.1, which dives further into the
A player is allowed to keep using and / or to repair any club damaged during the round no matter what the damage is and even if the player damages it in anger. A player is allowed to replace a damaged club except when it’s damaged during the round by any outside influence or natural forces or by someone other than the player.
Essentially, officials saw that the club was cracked. It just wasn’t cracked enough! Neither Fitzpatrick nor Scottie Scheffler agreed with the decision.
Fitzpatrick played out the rest of his round with the equipment at hand, finishing -1 on the day.