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During the final round of the 2024 BMW Championship, Matt Fitzpatrick had an issue with his driver but was not permitted to replace it. The English golfer noticed a crack on his driver and requested the officials to allow a replacement.
However, PGA Tour chief Referee Stephen Cox denied his plea, stating that it was a minor crack and that under the USGA's Model Local Rule G-9, his driver could not be replaced.
Cox explained that although there was a small crack on the face of Fitzpatrick’s driver, there was "no separation in the metal." Based on this, the threshold for replacement was not met, and the golfer's request was denied.
"The rule details a number of situations where the club would be allowed to be replaced, but the rule states that a crack in and of itself does not meet the threshold of being significantly damaged," Cox said (via PGA Tour).
"In our assessment -- not only the first official, but also a couple of others including myself -- that threshold of being significantly damaged hadn't been met. Although there was a small crack in the face, there was no separation in the metals and on that basis that threshold wasn't met," he added.
Fitzpatrick was palpably frustrated with the ruling and said (via Mirror):
"This is outrageous, it's an absolute disgrace. I've literally just watched a ball do a completely different thing from the whole morning. It couldn't be more obvious. I understand the rule, but at the end of the day, it's your opinion. It's opinion, not fact."
Fitzpatrick struggled in the final round of the BMW Championship, finishing T28. The Englishman is in 40th in the FedEx Cup standings before the start of the final FedEx Cup event, the Tour Championship. He will thus not be participating in the final playoff event, which has a cutoff of the top 30 in the rankings.
A look into Matt Fitzpatrick's performance at the 2024 BMW Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick began his outing at the 2024 BMW Championship with an opening round of 2-over 74. He recorded two birdies and a double bogey in the first round.
In the second round, Fitzpatrick started strong with a birdie on the first hole but quickly followed it with a bogey on the third. He managed two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine and another two birdies and two bogeys on the back nine, finishing with an even-par 72.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s struggles continued into the third round, where he shot a 1-under 71, recording four birdies and three bogeys. He concluded the tournament with a final round of 2-under 70, making seven birdies, three bogeys, and one double bogey. He ultimately finished with a 1-under total, tying for 28th place. Keegan Bradley won the event with a score of 12-under 276.
