The weather may have been near perfect on Friday evening at the PGA Championship but, following the deluge of rain that fell in the morning, Valhalla's course conditions were still soft and wet underfoot... This did cause some issues, which Robert MacIntyre found out at the tail end of his round.
At the par 5 seventh, his 16th hole of the day, MacIntyre safely landed on the fairway and had the green light to go for the flag in two. Striking a fairway wood, the left-hander hoicked the ball right and into one of the hospitality areas which are littered around the course.
MacIntyre o̶n̶ behind the fence 🏌️♂️ pic.twitter.com/7qZZjpwTPOMay 18, 2024
Well offline and near unsighted, getting a correct distance would be nigh-on impossible, even with the use of a rangefinder which are allowed during the PGA Championship. Before all of that, though, MacIntyre was made to wait 25 minutes for a ruling.
Trying to work out his nearest point of relief, the Ryder Cup star asked for a second opinion of where his ball needed to be dropped, after the first rules official reportedly didn't know.
Robert MacIntyre's 25 minute ruling which caused a delay at the PGA Championship 😲⏱️ pic.twitter.com/n4aXFXoNojMay 18, 2024
After the fiasco, MacIntyre clipped his wedge and, yet again, missed to the right of the green, with his ball sitting down in the surrounding Zoysia grass. Although it was a tricky shot, the 27-year-old managed to get up-and-down for what was a gutsy and perhaps, unlikely, par.
Sitting at nine-under for the tournament, MacIntyre was just three back of leader Xander Schauffele with two holes remaining, but a scrappy bogey-bogey finish only heightened MacIntyre's frustration further as he finished at seven-under and five back of the American.
Speaking after his round, MacIntyre stated: "It was solid until the last two holes. Took them 25 minutes to get a ruling and I've come out from the ruling and it's pitch black. It's just really annoyed me. To finish the way I finished is really not good when I'm right in the golf tournament. Now I'm kind of behind the 8-ball trying to fight back.
"I was just trying to find out where my nearest point of relief was if I dropped it and it was casual water and I just needed to know where my nearest point of relief was, and the guy didn't know so we had to get a second guy. It just took longer than it needed to, and I just lost all momentum. Hadn't swung a golf club in 25 minutes. Probably two bad swings, the worst shot I've hit all week on the par-3 eighth. I suppose we just get on with it.
"I've got two days (remaining). I'm not turning up here trying to just take part and be a number. I'm trying to win the Major. If I'm in it, I'm trying to win it. I was in a great position. I'm still in a decent position. But I've just given two shots to the field. I was in a good spot there, and yeah, just sore to finish the way I finished."
