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The rules of golf change often and we must admit that this one (a little specific) had completely escaped us… This is a decision applied last week on the DP World Tour which may interest all golfers in the world because it offers the possibility of repairing an error and “recovering” a move!
Did you know that an on-course referee’s decision can be retroactively changed by another referee if it is wrong?
This is what happened to the Spaniard Ivan Cantero and this incident had a great influence on its result in the Volvo China Open won by Adrian Otaegui.
Extremely rare
In general, on the professional circuit, when you are summoned by the referees after your game, it is not a good sign… A poorly applied rule, a poorly executed drop, a forgotten penalty, you are off to a bad start…
For the Spanish Ivan Cantero, quite the opposite happened. At the end of the first round of the Volvo China Open, the Spaniard was informed after his game that he was not going to receive an accounting sanction, but rather “recover” a stroke on his score card.
The next day, the future 27th at the Volvo China Open made the cut on the edge at once. This modification on his first scorecard (his 71 turned into 70) therefore changed everything. We explain to you the why and how.
What happened ?
Follow carefully. Thursday on hole n°13 of Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzhen, a par 5, Ivan Cantero hit his tee shot very right into tall grass. He didn’t know if it was a penalty area or not. So he played a provisional ball. What is allowed in this uncertain situation (a provisional ball cannot be used if it is certain that the ball in play has landed in a penalty zone. Which was not the case here.).
Rule of “obviousness”
Cantero therefore played a provisional ball, full fairway. But while walking towards the first ball hit by the Spaniard, he and the players who accompanied him were able to see that this initial ball, quickly found, was lying in a penalty zone. Cantero then appealed to a referee who told him that he could not play this first ball (by dropping it or from the place where it was), since he had hit a provisional ball.
The player (who, first, knew the rule better than the referee, a shame) pleaded his case, explaining in particular that if he had played a provisional it no longer existed from the point of view of the rules since the initial ball had been found. He therefore asked for the opinion of a second referee, which he is authorized to do but the latter validated his colleague’s decision…
Irrational
And this is where the story gets a little crazy. The 28-year-old therefore complied with the officials’ decision and played his provisional ball (which became “final”) from the fairway. He then made a superb par (making an eagle with this second ball, so to speak). He therefore scored 5 on hole no. 13. But…
A par that becomes birdie
But at the end of his game, tournament officials came to meet Cantero to explain to him that the ruling imposed by the two referees was incorrect. And as a result, one shot would be deducted from his score. Cantero therefore made a birdie (4) on hole n°13, without having succeeded.
Irrational, right? It even seems that this is unprecedented in the history of golf rules: a reduced stroke total due to a refereeing error in a professional tournament.
What does the rule say?
Rule 20.2a was applied here. It stipulates several things. First, that “ lhe decision of a referee concerning the facts or the application of the Rules must be followed by the player. » Ensuite, « uA player is not allowed to appeal a referee’s decision to the Committee, but after a decision has been made, the referee may report a decision to the Committee for confirmation. »
An arbitration error which turns to the advantage of the victim…
The Tournament Committee therefore realized the blunder of the two referees. This Committee then made a decision under rule 20.2d. “ An erroneous decision occurs when a referee or the Committee attempts to apply the Rules but does so incorrectly. » « If a decision by a referee or the Committee is subsequently found to be erroneous, the decision will be corrected if possible under the Rules.. » This decision was made in time, before the player signed his card.
Obviously, the Committee’s decision to give a point back to Cantero caused a stir, according to the Monday Q journalist who was the first to report this “ incident. » Some other players were both unhappy with the double refereeing error and the “pardon” granted to the Spanish player. Because ultimately, the officials’ mistake turned to the advantage of the victim.
In any case, this is information that will be of interest to all competitive players supervised by referees. If you feel like you were the victim of a mistake, all may not be lost. But please note: the opinion of the Tournament Committee cannot be taken into account by the player. But by the referees themselves…