DP World Tour star hits out at R&A over golf’s never-ending debate

Golf’s divot debate has once again reared its ugly head.

Should you get free relief if your ball lands in someone else’s pitchmark on a fairway?

The Rules of Golf state you must play your ball as it lies – and landing in a divot is merely an unfortunate break. Like, say, if you were to land in a pile of leaves.

The reason it is rarely discussed by those who govern the game is because it would not only be difficult to determine what does and doesn’t constitute a divot – and therefore would slow the game down immeasurably – and finding yourself in a such a position is not a common enough problem to be dealt with at that level.

Critics, though, say the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.

One of those is nine-time DP World Tour winner Pablo Larrazabal.

The Spaniard took to social media following the opening round of the 2024 BMW PGA Championship to bemoan an instance at Wentworth in which he was forced to play from another player’s divot.

“Dear R&A,” Larrazabal wrote on X. “Do you think is fair to hit the middle of the fairway in the hardest hole of the course and end up in another player’s pitch mark and NO relief?

“I know that is unlucky but come on, check the rules of our game to make it fair please.”

He concluded: “Thank you and see you guys soon.”

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

As you can expect, the responses were mixed.

“You should be allowed a scorecard length drop,” wrote retired cricketer Kevin Pietersen.

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But generally the feeling is golfers are in favour of the rule.

Andrew Kirby, though, replied: “Imagine the lengthy delays while pros get rulings on whether it’s a divot or not. Golf has good breaks and bad ones. Play it and move on.”

Stuart Drysdale added: “Honestly if that’s your view I think we should go pick and place on fairways all year round. Defining what fairway holes/marks are or aren’t divots or pitch marks will delay the game too long and be open to abuse.”

David Sobey is also concerned about pace of play: “It doesn’t matter if it’s fairways, rough or bunkers, sometimes it is the 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.”

Do you think the rules should be changed? Get involved in the conversation!

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor