‘So Unfair’: Golf World Splits Into Two After Unusual Hurdle Put European Pro in Spotlight

Nov 16, 2023 | 12:04 PM EST

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After a spectacular season that saw many strong competitions, and new talented faces evolving this weekend, the European Tour is finally coming to an end with the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course of Jumeirah Golf Estates. However, the rough fairways of the Jumeirah course presented a tough challenge only on the first tee for one European pro.

DP World Tour Championship proved tough in the first round

Much is at stake this week besides the $10.5 million prize purse. Since it is a limited-field event, only the top 50 players of the Race to Dubai are allowed to take part. After the final round, the Top 8 golfers will be eligible for the Race to Dubai Bonus Pool of $6 million.

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Moreover, as per the negotiation between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, the top 10 non-exempt golfers from the Order of Merit will earn membership in America, after the event. But winning this week will not be that easy after all. In the first tee shot, Marcel Siem’s ball got stuck on the fairway.

Fairways are closely mown areas of grass between the teeing ground and the green on a golf hole. It’s the target from the tee for golfers when driving off on a par-4 or a par-5 hole. In a video from the event, Siem’s ball rolled into a divot on the course. However, Siem was able to hit the shot pretty close to the hole but wasn’t able to make it.

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A sarcastic caption for the video was also added by DP World Tour itself, who said, “When you find your ball here in the middle of the first fairway.”

Ill-maintained fairway leaves fans expressing mixed opinions

It looks like the Greg Norman-designed course is not properly graded for the event. And the fairway question split the fans into giving different opinions, with most criticizing the course. One fan said, “When can we get a free drop for this? So unfair…“

This fan sympathized with the golfer who had to tackle the situation but also enjoyed the video. “Just imagine. Great content.”

Sarcasm was the weapon of this fan. “I’d love my ball being in the fairway on hole 1 😍😂😂😂”

One user wrote that in the last few years, many rules have changed but this remains the same.“All the rule changes in recent years and this has never made it!”

This fan commended Marcel Siem and his strong club. “Oh Marcel 😍what a iron”. One fan was genuinely concerned as to why the divot in the course hadn’t been dealt with. “Why has someone not replaced the divot? 😮”, they said.

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This fan too complained about the fairway rule “Why has the ruling regarding this not been changed? Surely this needs to be looked into.”

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Challenges aside, the Tour Championship is one of the crucial events of the league since it is a season-ending tournament. It could change the fate of many players if tackled well. What do you think about the oversight on the course?

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