If you’re a golfer, it’s certainly happened to you at some point. You hit a perfect drive only to find that your golf ball has settled in a divot. It’s a real “Screw you,” from the Golf Gods. They can be real sick puppies.
Of course, unless you reguarly play with total psychopaths, you’ll probably be allowed to roll your ball out of that hole. But if you’re playing in an actual tournament, that’s not an option. Enter Pablo Larrazabal.
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The 41-year-old Spaniard was in the midst of a solid opening 71 at the BMW PGA Championship when he was the latest victim of this classic on-course bad break. Still ticked after his round, he went as far as to tweet at one of golf’s main governing bodies, the R&A, to change the rule.
Dear @RandA
Do you think is fair to hit the middle of the fairway in the hardest hole of the course and end up in another players pitch mark and NO relief? I know that is unlucky but come on… check the rules of our game to make it fair please. Thank you and see you guys soon….— Pablo Larrazabal (@plarrazabal) September 19, 2024
Hey, you gotta shoot your shot. That being said, we’re pretty sure that Pablo’s plea won’t change this rule that has been a frequent topic of discussion among the R&A and USGA (and here’s why).
But it did reignite the debate on Golf Twitter. Among the nearly 100 replies, it was a pretty even mix of people agreeing with Larrazabal:
I think a new rule needs adding, if your ball lands in a divot, or pitch mark, you can roll the ball out no penalty
— Craig Meikle (@CraigMeikle30) September 19, 2024
Should be pick and place on all fairways
— ben chapman (@benc131990) September 19, 2024
It should be considered ground under repair, because it is. The course wants us to either replace divots or fill with sand/seed. That means the divot is repairing.
— Therugbyref (@TZrugbyref) September 19, 2024
And others telling the nine-time DP World Tour winner to suck it up:
Rub of the green. Doesn’t really happen that often. In collection areas where there is a consolidation of divots, I think it would be good to mark that as GUR. Otherwise just have to deal with it.
— Jeff Adams (@jeffsatoms) September 19, 2024
What about good luck Pablo? We’re ok with getting a lucky bounce out the trees but want relief from bad luck? It’s part of the game, embrace it 😁
— ERJ (@erj1986) September 19, 2024
It don’t matter if it’s fairways , rough or bunkers, sometimes it is luck of the draw which kind of lie you get. Just get on with it, the speed of play is too slow as it is without debating if it is in a divot or not
— david sobey (@duchydave) September 20, 2024
Anyway, we feel your pain, Pablo. Well, not really, because we’re not world-class tournament golfers who actually have to follow this rule, but you get the point.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
