Matt Fitzpatrick found himself in a series of peculiar circumstances at the BMW PGA Championship this week. This was due to some dubious spectator behaviour, a weather delay and his caddie’s quick thinking. Fitzpatrick was penalised for a rules violation but an even stranger incident may have saved him from a worse score.
The golfer had a promising start overall. He began his round at Wentworth with a six-under 66, placing himself firmly in contention. With the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on the horizon and US stars making a significant statement in the Procore Championship, he’s pushing hard and his recent form reflects this.
However, things took a bizarre turn on the 18th hole of his opening round. After driving into the trees, Fitzpatrick prepared to hit a provisional ball in case his first one couldn’t be located.
Then, a thunderstorm siren sounded, halting play for approximately 90 minutes. During this pause, Fitzpatrick’s caddie, Dan Parratt, voiced a concern: what if someone discovered the original ball in the bushes and took it?
It wasn’t an unfounded worry. Some spectators later reported seeing two young boys dive into the bushes and emerge grinning with a golf ball. With that in mind, Fitzpatrick flagged down a rules official and explained the situation.
Given the ‘balance of probability’ that the ball taken was his, officials allowed him a drop when play resumed – rather than forcing him to continue with the provisional ball.
It was one of those peculiar golf moments where spectators, weather, rules, and luck collide. Following the incident, Fitzpatrick managed a bogey – a six on the hole.
He acknowledged that had he been compelled to play the provisional ball instead, he likely would have paid more dearly in strokes.
Overall, though, the round held up: eight birdies helped him finish strongly. But that wasn’t his only rules issue this week.
In round two, on the par-five fourth, Fitzpatrick noticed, whilst addressing his approach shot, that his ball had moved.
After consulting with a rules official, he called the penalty on himself and incurred a one-stroke penalty. Even with that setback, he managed to save par on the hole.
Despite the oddities, Fitzpatrick has kept himself in contention. On Saturday, he fired a tidy three-under 69 in Round 3 to reach 10-under for the tournament.
His card showed a scorching start: birdies at the par-three second and par-five fourth helped him turn in 33 on the front nine. On the back, he birdied the par-three 10th with a sparkling tee shot, though a bogey at 11 slowed momentum.
He steadied with birdies on the 12th, 16th, and 17th before finishing with par on his return to the 18th where his ball was previously stolen. Fitzpatrick finds himself in a five-way tie at 10-under, alongside Ludvig Aberg, Ewen Ferguson, Patrick Reed, and Harry Hall.
They are all hot on the heels of a packed leaderboard: Adrien Saddier and Alex Noren are leading the pack with a 54-hole score of 15-under, closely followed by Tyrrell Hatton at 13-under and Viktor Hovland at 12-under.
