Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler in full agreement over ‘disgraceful’ PGA Tour rule

Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler United in Criticism Over Controversial PGA Tour Rule

During the final round of the BMW Championship on Sunday, a rule enforced by the PGA Tour left Matt Fitzpatrick visibly frustrated, sparking strong reactions from both him and his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler. The controversy centered around a cracked driver, with Fitzpatrick being denied permission to replace it under the USGA’s Model Local Rule G-9.

Fitzpatrick, a 29-year-old English golfer, discovered that his driver had developed a crack. When he approached officials to swap out the damaged club, he was met with the enforcement of Rule G-9, which prohibits replacing a club solely due to a crack. This decision did not sit well with Fitzpatrick, who believed that the crack was visibly affecting his game.

The situation reached its boiling point on the eighth fairway when Fitzpatrick confronted the ruling official. Clearly agitated, he described the situation as “an absolute disgrace,” emphasizing that the crack in the driver was not just cosmetic but was visibly altering the ball’s flight. “It’s caved in. There’s an obvious crack there that’s causing a defect of ball flight,” Fitzpatrick asserted. He continued, “So I’m going to have to use 3-wood for the rest of the day? That’s what you’re telling me? This is outrageous, it’s an absolute disgrace. I’ve literally just watched a ball do a completely different thing from the whole morning. It couldn’t be more obvious.”

Despite acknowledging that he understood the rule, Fitzpatrick argued that the official’s decision was subjective rather than factual. He expressed his intent to challenge the ruling after the round, calling it “a joke.” In a final act of defiance, Fitzpatrick dismantled the driver head on the ninth tee, completing the round with only 13 clubs in his bag.

The incident marred an already challenging weekend for Fitzpatrick, who ended the tournament tied for 28th place with an overall score of one under par. Despite managing a two-under round on Sunday, it wasn’t enough to make a significant impact on the leaderboard.

Scottie Scheffler, the reigning Masters champion and Fitzpatrick’s playing partner, shared his frustration with the ruling. Scheffler remarked, “You can feel the crack. The damage to the club is making the club not perform. It’s been damaged throughout the course of play. That’s the first shot offline he’s hit all day, and it carried about 80 yards shorter.”

Scheffler himself had a less-than-stellar performance over the weekend, finishing even on Sunday and one-over overall, landing him in a tie for 32nd place.

The tournament concluded with Keegan Bradley emerging victorious, finishing at 12 under par, one shot ahead of runners-up Ludvig Aberg, Adam Scott, and Sam Burns. Bradley’s win is particularly noteworthy as he is slated to captain Team USA at the Ryder Cup in New York next year. While captains typically do not play, Bradley remains one of the top American golfers and may either pick himself to play or secure enough qualification points to earn a spot on the team.

However, it is worth noting that Bradley did not earn any Ryder Cup qualification points from his BMW Championship win, as only the four major tournaments and the Players Championship carried such points for Americans in 2024. Other PGA Tour events will carry points in the following year.

The incident with Fitzpatrick’s driver has once again highlighted the complexities and controversies surrounding the rules of golf, leaving many to wonder if changes might be on the horizon to address such situations in the future.