PGA Tour golfer refuses to accept DP World Tour referee

Scotland's Sam Burns was upset because the Scottish Open referee team listened to the opinion of their off-field colleagues and did not give him the right to clear the ball when it was hanging over the wall.

"Both the referees there were looking at it and saying I would get a free ball if the problem was outside the hazard. Then suddenly someone said 'no free' over the radio. That was the end of the discussion. It's frustrating when someone who wasn't there intervenes like that," Burns told Golf Channel about the professional trouble after the third round of the Scottish Open on July 15.

The event, which is part of the DP World Tour and sponsored by the PGA Tour, took place at the par-70 Renaissance Course in Scotland. Burns’ frustration came on the par-5 10th hole. On this hole, Burns hit a bunker. He tried to escape on his second shot. However, the ball hit the wall of the bunker, then bounced off but did not fall to the bottom of the bunker. It hung suspended by a clump of grass, like a tiny bird’s nest supporting an oversized egg.

Sam Burns in trouble at the par-5 10th hole — Burns's dilemma.

Burns asked the first referee for permission to drop the ball in a new spot. At that time, the 26-year-old American golfer thought the existing spot was not a hazard and his next shot would hit the ground right in front of the ball.

The first referee from the DP World Tour came to review and combined the description via walkie-talkie so that colleagues in the functional area could grasp the situation and compare the rules.

A second official, from the PGA Tour, also stepped in to assist, but after 10 minutes had still not decided on a course of action. That's when the "no relief" call came over the radio. According to Golfweek , the person who made the call was Mark Litton, the head referee of the DP World Tour.

Burns and the referee study the situation of the ball stuck on the edge of the sand trap. Photo: Golf Digest — Burns and the referee study the situation of the ball stuck on the edge of the sand trap. Photo: *Golf Digest*

So Burns had to play his third shot from a precarious position, his right foot on the wall and the other foot outside. This attempt failed as the ball hit the front edge of the bunker and bounced back to the bottom of the bunker, exactly as he had feared.

With a new position from the sand, he escaped on his fourth shot, adding four more to finish the 10th hole with a triple bogey, dropping his score to -5. With eight holes left, Burns had two birdies and no bogeys. With that result, he finished T18 (-7), six strokes off the top.

The leading position belongs to Rory McIlroy. This Northern Irish golfer has played in the tournament seven times but has not finished in the top 10, nor has he won a professional tournament in Scotland.

The prize fund for this Scottish Open is $9 million, including $1.575 million for the championship.

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