English golfer Sam Bairstow has been hit with a fine after being caught on camera breaking rules at the Nexo Championship in Scotland.
The 27-year-old has been dealt a punishment understood to be £25,000 by DP World Tour chiefs following the transgression which was recorded by a fan during the event last month at Trump International in Aberdeen, won by home star Grant Forrest.
Bairstow withdrew from the tournament at the Granite City venue after the first round and more details have now come to light over an incident which took place on the 14th hole during the opening day’s play at the US President’s course.
The 27-year-old’s issue came when his ball came to rest percehed in high rough on the side of a hill beside the 14th fairway. A video shot by a fan on the course then filmed the player appearing to address the ball before it seems to disappear. At that point, it is deemed that a player should replace the ball back to its original position if it visibly moves and take a penalty.
At the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July, Shane Lowry was harshly penalised with a two-shot penalty when his ball moved a tiny amount in the rough prior to hitting a shot. It was not visible to the naked eye, but slow-mo TV camera footage showed the miniscule movement and the Irish star had to accept the rough-justice penalty, despite having no knowledge that the ball had even moved.
In this instance, Bairstow proceeded with his subsequent stroke from the new ball position and finished the hole before signing for a five having had three more shots afterwards.
The fan in attendance at the tournament sent the video clip to DP World Tour chiefs and the player was asked about the incident by officials once his round was over. It is reported that Bairstow was unaware, but accepted the situation when the video footage was shown and subsequently withdrew from the event before he start of round two. Now more details offered clarity.
In a statement released to the Daily Telegraph, the DP World Tour offered insight into the situation as it read: “The DP World Tour 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.”
