Pablo Larrazabal in the BMW Championship this week.
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To scroll through Pablo Larrazabal’s Twitter feed is to see everything he’s thinking. of shirtless party in the Solheim Cup? He was not a fan. Jon Rahm’s Golf LIV victory? “Spain is conquering the league”. That rope stinger Larrazabal hit this week at the BMW PGA Championship? A controlled draw, he says.
Okay, how about how he finished his round on Thursday? Larrazabal was so incensed that he took to the internet to complain about the R&A, golf’s international stewards, and the way it is governed. Normally, we wouldn’t condone complaining on Twitter, but in this case, he might have a point.
“Dear @RandA,” the post began.
“Do you think it’s fair to hit the middle of the fairway on the hardest hole on the course and end up with another player point and NO relief? I know it’s unfortunate, but come on… check our game rules to make it fair, please. Thanks and see you guys soon…”
Looking at the stats and using Larrazabal’s first round scoreboard, we’re guessing he’s complaining about how he played the 15th hole. The 15th hole at Wentworth Club is among the most sought-after on the property, a 491-yard par-4 that played as the strongest hole on the property during the first round. Only 16 players out of the 126-player field made a birdie. You should spill your tee over a creek, but then keep it away from the same waterway further down the fairway—hitting it long enough for an optimal angle on the hole, but not playing so aggressively that you bring the stream into play. the right.
Larrazabal bogged down on Thursday, playing his ball just 273 yards into the center of the short grass — but also into a divot hole. From there, we know he made a disappointing putt, with his approach ending up short and left of the green, in the rough. His third shot ended up short, into a greenside bunker before he splashed the green and hit for 5. Being the only bogey he made in his finishing eight holes, you can see how this score could to get stuck on Larrazabal’s knee as he signed for a one-under 71 and then took to Twitter.
What he presented to his followers is one of golf’s greatest Rorschach tests. One might view a ball in the middle of the fairway rolling into another player’s fairway as absurd and an easily avoidable outcome if the Rules of Golf simply allowed a free fall. it feels how a well-struck ball rolling in such a situation could be considered finding “ground under repair”, right?
Another view is simply, That’s the flow of the game, friend. Get on with it.
We can probably all agree that these situations are unfortunate, but not everyone believes they are unfair. In fact, one of the immediate comments on Larrazabal’s post admitted that his lie was just “rubbing the green.” In other words, this is one of those hard luck jumps that golf is known for. it happens That’s what the Sacred Rules of Golf say, and that’s why Larrazabal is choosing the R&A. He thinks it’s a harsh rule.
Whether Larrazabal is correct or not, the situation is a classic dispute over the black-and-white nature of the Rules. They are written in precise words to ensure that they can rule over any situation, many of which are not black and white, but rather very, very gray. If Larrazabal needed any reminder of that, he could just check his answers. The many followers joined in with a dose of reality, I think we can all agree:
If professional players got free relief from split holes and pitch marks, we might find ourselves constantly on our knees, hands on the turf, inspecting every crack and impression left in the ground. like Golf writer Ben Coley said“there just isn’t enough time in the day.”
