USGA admits to getting Rory McIlroy’s US Open drop wrong

The USGA has admitted to making a blunder in administering its own rules during the final round of the US Open just over a week ago.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, the organisation’s chief governance officer Thomas Pagel conceded that Rory McIlroy was given incorrect relief from an embedded lie above a bunker on the 14th hole.

The four-time major champion’s drop ultimately had no bearing on the outcome of the championship. Indeed, the Irishman was unable to take advantage of it and made bogey at a critical time in the round.

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However, whilst absolving McIlroy of any blame, Pagel admitted that the spot from which he took relief was wrong.

“The nearest point of relief was mis-identified,” he said. “It should have been directly behind the ball.

“If there’s no area immediately behind the ball, you go to nearest point in the general area. But if you look at where the ball was embedded, there was a grassy area below and that should have been the starting point.”

Predictably, the usual faceless Twitter trolls were quick after the fact to brand McIlroy a ‘cheat’ for taking the drop. According to Pagel, he was quite entitled to.

“His ball was 100% embedded,” he added “And an embedded ball not in sand is entitled to relief. Rory did everything at the discretion of the referee. In her discretion, her judgment was that the reference point for relief was to the side of the ball. And from a ruling standpoint, that’s the end of the story.

“He wasn’t doing anything to gain an advantage and as he was told how to apply the rule on where to drop.”

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The rules official assisting McIlroy at Los Angeles Country Club was Courtney Myrhum. An experienced referee, Myrhum has officiated more than 60 USGA championships and, according to Pagel, “did everything in her judgment” to make sure the correct relief was taken.

“However, after further review it was determined that there was a spot in the general area immediately behind the ball that was the reference point for relief,” added Pagel.

There is no suggestion of any retrospective action being taken.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor