Nedbank....Dylan Fritelli drop & Ross Fisher woes

[Junior]

Always enjoy this tournament and there have been a couple of interesting talking points this week.....

1. Today Dylan Fritelli gets a drop from the bundi when clearly the sprinkler he wanted to get relief from would not effect his swing path. Shane Lowry and Wayne Riley couldn't believe it!! He swung the club like it would interfere, but imo he clearly was manufacturing it to make it look like it would.

2. Yesterday Ross Fisher goes up again a fallen tree and makes a hash of the hole and scores 9!!! This was after he was something like 8 under through 15.....then a few minutes later Matt Wallace goes up against the same tree and gets 5 people to shift it. I'm please that Fisher is bouncing back today.

 

[bladeplayer]

Yea i commented to sky golf and european tour on twitter that fritelli cheated and ref bottled it ..
Great to see Ross platying well today

 

[Jacko_G]

These guys know how to play rules to their own advantage. Is it cheating or is it clever?

Fisher if he had options but didn't use them only has himself to blame. I did see his tee shot but didn't see him chopping about in the woods so can't comment on what he did/didn't do.

 

[srixon 1]

The loose impediment rule needs to change. If you cannot move it by yourself then you shouobe allowed to get the spectators to help you.

 

[bladeplayer]

These guys know how to play rules to their own advantage. Is it cheating or is it clever?

Fisher if he had options but didn't use them only has himself to blame. I did see his tee shot but didn't see him chopping about in the woods so can't comment on what he did/didn't do.

But fritelli seemingly didnt use rule to his adavantage he lied about shot he had to / wished to take . Lowry and wayne reilly even said it not in his way . Ref bottled it but DF cheated in my opinion

 

[bladeplayer]

Sky sports news showing it . Saying he took the drop but yhen decided to play from original spot .. confusing casual golfer wven more

 

[Captainron]

I have played the course and going into that bush is really not pleasant. Got a lot of snakes around there too so you don’t look for too long

Nice to see that there are actually par 5’s that even these guys can’t reach. Really is a top course and it’s right next to the Pilansberg National Park if you want to have a bit of a trip to the bush

 

[Papas1982]

I think the rule regarding impendiments needs changing. We all recall Woods and the boulder. It should of happened then.

As to relief. They’ve made a start by ruling it can only be taken length up to driver as the long putter made it ridiculous. But I also think that the club you say you’ll play a shot with should be the one use for the drop.

 

[Jacko_G]

But fritelli seemingly didnt use rule to his adavantage he lied about shot he had to / wished to take . Lowry and wayne reilly even said it not in his way . Ref bottled it but DF cheated in my opinion

Yes not the first though, we've seen dodgy swings for years or wide stances to get away from a sprinkler head or similar.

We've seen blatant "line of sight" infringements too.

Professional golfers are pampered period.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Can't see that Fritelli has cheated.

He asked the referee for a ruling and then played to that ruling.

I agree that it certainly appeared to be a wrong ruling but that's down to the referee not the player.

 

[Imurg]

Agreed
Although SSNews are reporting he then chose to play from the original position.....
Don't understand that.....unless the drop was not performed correctly...

 

[Slime]

He cheated, I have no doubt about that and nor does Shane Lowry.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

He cheated, I have no doubt about that and nor does Shane Lowry.

So you are saying he cheated with the explicit approval of the referee.

It was in full view and agreed by the referee, he didn't attempt to conceal his actions

The referee was wrong but the player didn't cheat.

 

[Slime]

So you are saying he cheated with the explicit approval of the referee.

It was in full view and agreed by the referee, he didn't attempt to conceal his actions

The referee was wrong but the player didn't cheat.

He said that the sprinkler would interfere with his intended line of his swing, which was patently not the swing path he would have used.
In my humble opinion, he told this lie specifically to get a free drop ........................... I call that cheating.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

He said that the sprinkler would interfere with his intended line of his swing, which was patently not the swing path he would have used.
In my humble opinion, he told this lie specifically to get a free drop ........................... I call that cheating.

I don't agree.

As often happens the player sought a ruling and his reasons for wanting relief .

It is then the referee's job to either accept or reject those reasons and decide if relief is to be granted.

I certainly think that Fritelli's request was spurious but that is not cheating .

Referee got it wrong. It happens.

 

[Jacko_G]

It's also very poor form for Lowry to be saying stuff like that.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Watched it happen and Lowry was spot on - the sprinkler didn’t appear to be in the line of his swing , the oncourse reporter said that Frittelli manufactured a swing to attempt to get the sprinkler in his swing plane. And Lowry was entitled to speak his piece when he said he didn’t think he was entitled to the drop but then said its up to the referee.

Is it cheating or using the rules to your advantage - he asked for relief and the referee gave it to him - can you really call him a cheat then.

Also not sure what SSN were reporting because he clearly took the drop - Lowry didn’t look too impressed

 

[Deleted member 18588]

It's also very poor form for Lowry to be saying stuff like that.

Subsequently it was suggested that it had distracted him from his own game but there was no need for him to become involved.

Save expressing his concerns until the round was completed.

 

[Wolf]

Can't see how anyone can call him a cheat, if he'd taken the drop without consent of the match official then perhaps he can be questioned on whether he cheated or not.

Yes he perhaps did manufacture a swing to have his line of play impeded, but what he did within the rules of the game is called in the ref and asked for the decision. It is then became the decision of the official who granted the relief as he decided it was within the rules of the game. Therefore there is no way he can be deemed a cheat, I'll happily admit he used the rules to his advantage but that fell on the official to deny it, had that happened there wouldnt be a debate and as much as Lowry is objecting he had no place to get involved if he wasn't asked to, the official made the final decision not the player.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

He asked the referee the question and got the answer he wanted. Is it cheating? Not in my book as he proceeded as instructed and the issue is with the referee and their lack of backbone and bottle. Lowry was perfectly entitled to make his views known as he's representing the rest of the field to ensure nothing untoward happened. I agree with others though, the loose impediment rule needs looking at. If you and your caddy alone can't move it then tough. Not sure how the marquee groups can get fans to assist when the early starters wouldn't have the same opportunities for help. Doesn't seem fair and equitable