Enjoying in world golf’s most profitable occasion, Sahith Theegala knew his careless error within the Tour Championship was prone to value himself thousands and thousands.
And but, the American knew the best factor to do was to blow the whistle on himself throughout the third spherical when he realised he made contact with the sand throughout his backswing.
The second got here on the par-four third gap when Theegala was selecting his method out of a fairway bunker at East Lake — solely to make the unlucky error within the break up second earlier than finishing his shot.
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The infringement was so small that nobody observed — that’s aside from Theegala who self-reported it to officers.
The penalty? Two pictures, which landed him with a double bogey.
The tip outcome after 4 rounds? Theegala completed two pictures adrift of second-place finisher Collin Morikawa.
Had Theegala not brushed the sand illegally — or had he merely not self-reported — he would’ve completed in a tie for second, value $10m (A$14.75m).
In the long run, Theegala settled for third. It nonetheless pocketed him a whopping $7.5m (A$11m), although the best way wherein he misplaced a further A$3.75m will sting.
The sacrifice, nonetheless, has solely endeared the already-popular golfer to followers additional, with the star celebrated for upholding the sport’s values of sportsmanship and honesty.
It additionally painted golf villain Patrick Reed in a good worse mild, with followers reminded of an identical incident involving the LIV defector which had a really totally different consequence.
In 2019, Reed drew the ire of {the golfing} world when he was penalised two strokes within the Bahamas for additionally illegally transferring sand behind his ball.
The important thing variations to Theegala are in that Reed moved the sand throughout observe swings — not his precise stroke — nor did he self-report it.
The infringement was blatant sufficient that it was noticed by others, and the American was penalised.
Some followers have been fast to level out how Theegala had proven Reed the best way 5 years on.
Talking in regards to the incident after play, Theegala defined that “your instinct as a golfer may be very not often improper.”
“I wouldn’t be capable of sleep,” he stated.
“I used to be describing the scenario — it doesn’t matter what the end result was, I wanted to know what the precise rule was. Though me and Xander (Schauffele) thought it’s simply no matter, it’s advantageous, you touched a grain of sand, didn’t imply to maneuver it, you’re good.
“I made a decision to name the principles official immediately on that inexperienced. However both method, I’d have requested the principles officers after the spherical, too, or someway came upon what the rule was, and if I didn’t ask a guidelines official and I went again house and regarded up the rule — it was sitting in my thoughts.”