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ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 18, 2013Andy McFeeABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Q. A big decision has just been made, can you explain exactly what's happened with regard to Tiger Woods? ANDY McFEE: Yeah, sure. He took a drop for an embedded ball to the right of the 5th fairway this afternoon. He called Martin over and Martin came. And he said, look, I've got an embedded ball. Martin looked at it and said yes, it's embedded. So we have embedded ball relief extended tee‑to‑green and they thought he was entitled to relief. But that rule is very specific in that if your ball is embedded in ground other than sand, and the area where the ball was, there's loose, creeping vegetation but it's pure sand underneath there. So I knew the‑‑ I didn't know the spot but I knew the area from the spectators and it didn't look likely that the embedded ball relief applied to Tiger's situation. So once we established what had gone on, I had a conversation with Tiger as he came off the 111th tee, because I was aware of his position score‑wise in the position, and I wanted him to know that there's a possibility that a penalty had been occurred there and that might affect his strategy going forward, because you couldn't be sure of his score on the fifth hole now. Not knowing the spot, I thought Tiger might want to go out and have a look at the exact‑‑ take me to the spot and say, well, that's where it was. But I looked at the area; and in the end, in the recording area, Tiger wanted to discuss it in the recording area rather than on the golf course. He played on. In the recording area we had further conversations and Tiger was quite happy to accept, he said: Look, if you think that area is not entitled to a drop, then that's good enough for me. He didn't see the need to go further out. He just accepted the two‑stroke penalty, and we did that in the recording area, added to his score on the 5th and that's that. Q. That means he misses the cut? ANDY McFEE: Yes. Q. He must have been bitterly disappointed when the final decision was made. ANDY McFEE: Yeah, I think so. As I say, it's just one of these situations that both he and Martin, unfortunately, got that rule wrong. Q. You had to give Tiger Woods a two‑shot penalty which has resulted in him missing the cut. Can you tell us the circumstances, please? ANDY McFEE: Yeah, Tiger hit it right of the 5th fairway this afternoon. The ball went off into some vegetation out there. He called Martin over because he figured he had an embedded ball. Martin took a look at it; yes, the ball is embedded, so he took the drop. Now on all the tours, extend the embedded ball relief; under the rules of the game, the embedded ball only applies on a closely‑mown area. But all tours use the note to that rule which extends it to through the green, which means everywhere on the golf course except hazards. But it's very specific, that rule, and it refers to ground other than sand. Now, unfortunately, this area, whilst it's got vegetation on the top of it, it's just creeping vegetation and sand, as most is of the off‑grass areas are here. Once we had found out what had gone on, we sort of investigated it. I realised that there was a potential problem here, so I spoke to Tiger as he came off the 11th tee, because I was aware of his position in the golf tournament. Wanted him to know that there was a possible penalty. I couldn't be certain because I didn't know the exact spot. I knew the area and I thought Tiger might want to go out and show me exactly where it was. And he clearly‑‑ I wanted him to know, this might affect his strategy going forward. We had that conversation as he came off the 11th tee. Said we would talk further in the recording area. When we got into the recording area, I had the conversation with Tiger and Tiger said‑‑ I said: Do you want to go out and have a look at it. He said: Look, if you think that's the right ruling, that's good enough for me. So he didn't need to go out and have a look, and two‑stroke penalty. Q. Is this another trial by television? Did it come to light by a viewer? ANDY McFEE: No, it didn't come to light by television at all. The way that things come to light, it's not just television. This was spectators out on the golf course who spoke to a referee that they went past, were curious as to why the drop was given. I don't actually think they realised what can they were opening. And the referee said, well, you know, it would likely be an embedded ball. But then when he went to look at the area, he thought, I'm not so sure I would give that. So then he called me and I went and had a look at it, and for sure, that area is‑‑ there's no question the ball is embedded in sand. Q. Talk us through the situation as it unfolded with Woods at the 5th. ANDY McFEE: Tiger hit his tee shot on the fifth way out to the right and when he got over there to the ball, he called Martin Kaymer over and said, look, I've got an embedded ball here. So Martin came and had look at it, agreed the ball was embedded; so Tiger proceeded under the embedded ball rule, dropped the ball and played on. No referee was involved in that situation. It was only later that a couple of spectators walking past the referee who had seen that asked, why did Tiger get a drop there. And the referee didn't know. Obviously no referee was involved but we suspected it might have been embedded ball. So we went and had a look at the area and thought, well, embedded ball rule just does not apply in that rule. Let me explain what the rule is. The embedded ball rule is for a closely‑mown area, only, okay. There's a note to that rule, which all the major tours in the world use, which extends embedded ball relief to through the green, but that is very specific in that it said, in ground other than sand. So wherever you are, you do not get a relief for a ball which is embedded in sand, and that's just a bad lie and you have to play it. Q. Now, is that written for bunkers? ANDY McFEE: No, no, this is for what we call through the green. So it's all areas of the golf course other than hazards. So you know, the principle is that if you go to places on the links land and you hit your ball into a sand dune, it's not unusual for a ball to embed in sand. So the rule is written that, yes, if your ball embeds in grass like we are stood on here, you are entitled to relief. But once you're on sand and you have an embedded ball, you just have to play it. Q. Did you go back and review the tape? ANDY McFEE: No, there's no tape. This came from evidence of people who had witnessed what had gone on on the golf course and were curious. I don't actually think they knew the rule themselves but when they brought it to our attention, it was clear to us something unusual had happened. Now, not knowing all the facts, not knowing the exact spot, just knowing the area, I spoke to Tiger because I was aware that his position in the golf tournament was‑‑ he was battling to make the cut. So I wanted him to know that there was a potential penalty, because that might affect his strategy. So I spoke to him when he came off the 11th tee. We thought, well, we'll examine this further. He was quite sure at the time that he had done the right thing but when I said to him if the ball was embedded in sand, then you're not entitled to an embedded ball relief; I think then he knew that, well, okay‑‑ so we decided to discuss it further in the recording area. Because when that conversation happens, by then it was irrelevant; it didn't matter. As long as it's done before the card is signed. So in the recording area, we had the conversation. Martin was sure it was in sand. I said, look, I don't know the exact spot. I'm happy to go out and have a look if you want to do that and Tiger basically said, well, look, if you think that's the right rule then that's good enough for me. He took the two‑stroke penalty and signed the card. Q. Do you remember that happening to anyone else in tournaments? ANDY McFEE: I'm pretty sure that's happened before. We've had a number of rulings here in Abu Dhabi and Dubai where people have asked relief and been denied. It happens all the time. But because there was no referee involved in this, Tiger and Martin thought they were doing the right thing but didn't know that nuance, I guess, that once the ball is in sand, there's no relief. I guess a lot of people will know it after this. Q. Folks at home will say, why was there not a referee on hand. Explain how that works at a European Tour event. ANDY McFEE: Well, it's the same as all professional golf events. The same on the PGA TOUR. We have seven referees covering an 18‑hole golf course. So they are not everywhere. But they are available on radio should somebody have a question and then resolve it. Had Tiger called one of the referees over, or Martin, and said, look, we have a question here, relief would have been denied. But they both thought they were doing the right thing. You know, obviously we want people to deal with rules issues themselves, providing they get it right. But unfortunately in this one, they didn't, and it incurred a two‑stroke penalty. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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