Sahith Theegala known as a penalty on himself Saturday.
NBC Sports activities
Even on video replay, it’s robust to inform if Sahith Theegala touched the sand in a bunker Saturday at East Lake, however he’s apparently fairly sure he did.
After hitting his tee shot on the 4th gap of the third spherical on the Tour Championship Saturday, Theegala known as over a PGA Tour guidelines official to inform him he believed he touched the sand whereas enjoying his strategy from a fairway bunker a gap earlier.
After Theegala and the official mentioned for a second, PGA Tour lead TV guidelines and video analyst Mark Dusbabek got here on the NBC broadcast to verify Theegala was accessed a two-stroke penalty for breaking Rule 12.2b.
“He feels that he touched the sand on his final gap when he was taking his backswing,” Dusbabek mentioned. “It’s a penalty when you contact the sand whereas your ball is within the sand. We now have affirmation that he feels that he did, so it’s going to be a two-shot penalty for him.”
That is the primary occasion held on the newly renovated East Lake and NBC analyst Brad Faxon was fast to level out Theegala was near the lip of the primary right-hand fairway bunker on three.
“So he was attempting to hit a shot that he needed to hit up within the air,” Faxon mentioned. “Numerous occasions, you place a bit bit extra weight again in your proper foot and the takeaway can be decrease due to that.
“That stinks and that’s fairly cool that he would admit it as a result of nobody else would have seen it.”
Theegala had simply made a 25-foot putt at No. 2 to get to 13 below, in solo 4th and 7 photographs behind Scottie Scheffler within the race for the Tour Championship and $25 million FedEx Cup titles. After the ruling, his par on the third gap was modified to a double bogey and he dropped again to 11 below, in a tie for fifth.
Smylie Kauffman reported Theegala slammed his water bottle on the bottom in frustration after getting the ruling.
After Theegala ultimately performed his strategy to the 4th gap, the NBC group took a slow-mo, zoomed-in have a look at Theegala’s bunker shot at No. 3 and none might determine the place Theegala touched the sand.
“I don’t see a lot there,” analyst Kevin Kisner mentioned. “I’d be arguing with [Dusbabek] after I bought completed. Give me my two photographs again.”
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That’s when NBC introduced Dusbabek again on to verify that it was Theegala himself who self-reported the infraction. Self-reporting penalties is nothing new in golf, a collegiate participant self-reported fixing aeration marks in a U.S. Open qualifier final yr (This author self-reported inadvertently transferring a ball in an newbie qualifier this previous spring). But it surely’s a rarity on the PGA Tour the place cameras and spectators witness each single shot.
“He is aware of, I assume the man is aware of,” mentioned Dan Hicks. “I assume he felt it and knew that he had completed it.”
After the group took one other have a look at Theegala’s total time over the ball, Kisner agreed.
“The hitter at all times is aware of,” the analyst who continues to be considerably lively on the PGA Tour. “You recognize when it’s going to be brief. You recognize when it’s going to be lengthy and you realize when you brush that sand. He felt like he might really feel the sand alongside the membership when he took it again.”
Dusbabek confirmed that officers would talk about the incident with Theegala once more after the spherical and present him the video. However officers approached Theegala once more about half-hour later after he walked off the sixth tee.
Regardless of some followers close to Theegala when he performed No. 3 telling him they didn’t see him contact the sand, the Tour found video proof proving Theegala’s declare.
“While you see the video, there’s a ridge of sand, proper behind the ball, that you could see has been taken away when he takes his backswing,” Dusbabek mentioned.
It is a growing story and will likely be up to date as extra info turns into obtainable.
