[Picture: Andrew Redington]
A British pro finds himself in hot water with the DP World Tour and his fellow players after incriminating video has surfaced showing he failed to replace a ball after it moved two weeks ago at the Nexo Championship at Trump International in Scotland.
According to The Telegraph UK, Sam Bairstow, a 27-year-old from England, has since been fined £25,000, the equivalent of $A$52,000.
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On the 14th hole of the opening round, Bairstow missed the fairway with his tee shot and his ball, according to a copy of the video obtained by The Telegraph, ended in heavy rough on an embankment. As Bairstow gets ready to hit his second shot, the ball drops lower into the rough. Bairstow moves away from the ball, talks to his caddie, then addresses the ball and hits what would be his second shot. A third shot was hit to within 12 feet of the pin and he two-putted for what would be a bogey 5.
By the time he played his final four holes a fan who captured a video of the situation had sent it to the DP World Tour, which showed Bairstow, who denied knowledge of his ball moving. Still, he accepted his fate, making the 5 a 7 and he moved on. The two-stroke penalty comes from not replacing the ball (1) and for playing it from the wrong position (1).
He later disqualified himself from the tournament as not to be a distraction.
The story, however, has gained much more traction since as copies of the video have been spread around to players and caddies, leading to the DP World Tour to meet and hand out the aforementioned £25,000 fine.
In a statement released to The Telegraph, the DP World Tour said it “can confirm that on the 14th hole during Round One of the Nexo Championship there was a rules infringement by Sam Bairstow which at the time resulted in a two-stroke penalty. Following the review of video footage after the conclusion of Round One, it was deemed that Bairstow’s actions had caused his ball to move prior to playing a stroke from the sand dunes on the 14th hole. Before the start of Round Two, Bairstow felt the right decision was to disqualify himself from the tournament.
“After further investigation, Bairstow was found to be in breach of the DP World Tour’s Code of Behaviour and sanctioned accordingly. The player has a period of review to appeal the sanction.”
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Bairstow, in a statement to The Telegraph said: “At my address position I could not see the ball at all but I could see the markings on the ball when I moved to the side where the video was taken. Something looked different when I re-addressed the ball for a second time so I checked my markings on the ball to ensure they were in the same position, which they were.
“I know I should have called a referee, and I really regret that I didn’t. I know who I am as a person, and so do the people who are close to me. I fully acknowledge by not calling a referee at the time, I didn’t play my part in respect of the Tour and my fellow players.
“After being shown the video after my round, I did what I could at the time by disqualifying myself from the tournament. I completely respect the Tour processes and I accept the additional sanction. I hope I can now move on and concentrate on playing the game I love.”
Bairstow has one victory on the Challenge Tour (2023) and is No. 210 in the world rankings. He shot 76-73 this week and missed the cut at the British Masters at The Belfry in England, where Marco Penge held the 36-hole lead.
