GOLF NEWS:DUSTIN JOHNSONS two-stroke penalty on the final hole of the US PGA Championship has served as a timely reminder that players should always acquaint themselves with local rules, a European Tour official said.
American Johnson, one ahead playing the last at Whistling Straits on Sunday, was penalised two shots for grounding his club in a bunker to the right of the fairway, an infringement that cost him a place in a play-off for the title.
“We all feel sympathy for him but it was clear-cut from what I saw on television,” European Tour chief referee John Paramor said after officiating at the tournament in Kohler, Wisconsin.
“I had finished duty when I looked at the television and I thought: ‘He’s grounded his club in a bunker.’ I just couldn’t believe it.
“And you can’t suddenly bring emotion into it, bearing in mind his position in the tournament. He’s just like the guy who tees off at the first and grounds his club in a bunker in the first round. It’s exactly the same, it’s the same penalty.”
The drama arose after Johnson’s errant drive landed in a sandy area. As he approached his ball, the lip of the bunker was not immediately obvious because of the crowd gathered around and he grounded his club before playing his next shot.
“My advice to anyone playing in a competition is that you should know the rules and regulations under which you’re playing,” Paramor said. “It doesn’t take an awful lot to look at that.
“We contact everyone on the first tee on day one. Every player is given a local rules sheet and if it’s something particularly important we also display it in prominent places because we know an awful lot of them don’t read that sheet.
“You would hope we would never experience it again but you have to consider the nature of the competing professional, the way that he becomes single-minded in what he’s doing at the time and doesn’t necessarily pay that much attention to where he is and what he’s doing.”
Simon Dyson yesterday provided the starkest contrast imaginable to Europe’s stay-away Ryder Cup stars. Dyson flew overnight from Chicago to London after his 12th-place finish at the US PGA Championship, then caught another plane to Prague and then a train to Ostrava for the Czech Open starting tomorrow.
The 32-year-old from York is 16th in the race for places in Colin Montgomerie’s side with two events to go – and he will be at both at them.
Victory at the Prosper Resort in Celadna on Sunday would almost certainly take Dyson into the top nine and would bump Paul Casey out of an automatic qualifying spot.
Casey, Pádraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Justin Rose have all stated they want to stay in America for the start of the FedEx Cup play-offs next week.
“Last week was the best I struck the ball for four straight days ever and I’m going to give it my all now to try to make the side,” Dyson said.
“This might be the best chance I ever have of winning a Ryder Cup cap and Whistling Straits has given me a massive boost in confidence.”
