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Fans voiced their frustration with the PGA Tour's decision after Matt Fitzpatrick was denied a driver replacement during the final round of the 2024 BMW Championship. The English golfer, who competed in the recently concluded event, discovered cracks in his driver during the game. He requested a replacement from the officials but was denied under USGA’s Model Local Rule G-9, with the ruling citing a lack of significant damage to the club.
Matt Fitzpatrick tried his best to convince the officials, but his plea was ultimately rejected, forcing him to continue playing with the cracked driver. Even his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler, who witnessed the situation, got involved, but the ruling remained unchanged.
NUCLR Golf shared a short clip of Fitzpatrick’s conversation with the PGA Tour officials about the driver change on its X (formerly Twitter) account, writing:
"#WATCH: Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler are not happy with a rules official: "This is outrageous, it's an absolute disgrace.” @MattFitzLegion @SchefflerFans Do you agree with the ruling?"
Fans in the comments section were also unhappy with the decision, with some stating that LIV Golf would have handled the situation differently.
"LIV would never do this!" a fan wrote.
"What a joke," another fan wrote.
Another fan expressed disappointment with the PGA Tour's ruling by taking a dig at the circuit.
"PGA out here "growing" the game I see..," a fan wrote.
"Reason #716 why LIV Golf is better than the PGA Tour," another fan commented.
Here are more fans reactions:
Scottie Scheffler supports Matt Fitzpatrick during a heated driver replacement dispute
While watching Matt Fitzpatrick request a driver replacement from the officials, Scottie Scheffler stepped forward to support him. As the Englishman discussed the situation with the rules officials, Scheffler joined the conversation and, in support of Fitzpatrick, stated that the damage to the club was hindering the player’s game.
"You can feel the crack. The damage to the club is making the club not perform,” Scheffler said (via Golf Magic). “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.”
Matt Fitzpatrick shot a 70 in the final round of the 2024 BMW Championship, finishing in a tie for 28th place. However, this marked the end of his FedEx Cup Playoffs journey as he slipped down four spots in the rankings, finishing in 40th position, outside the top 30.
Notably, only the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings qualify for the upcoming Tour Championship this week. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler finished in a tie for 33rd place at the BMW Championship, but he will still compete in the Tour Championship this week as he currently leads the FedEx Cup standings.
