- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
It may help the Australian veteran win, but Peter Senior still felt young American Bobby Gates was dudded by a ruling just before officials halted play midway through a waterlogged final round of the $1.5 million PGA Championship at Coolum.
“Poor old Bobby Gates, the bunker was just riddled with water on the ninth,” said Senior of the shot the 24-year-old American had to play from the sand which cost him the tournament lead.
“I walked past the bunker and said to Bobby `mate, there’s no way you can play it’,” added Senior, who ended a dramatic day leading at 12-under through nine holes from another 51-year-old Peter Fowler and Gates.
“There was six inches of water on the bottom and there was water pouring off the lips going down the sides.
“The rules are you have to get total relief. I didn’t think he had total relief.
“It was a bit disappointing and I think he’ll remember that.”
Play was officially abandoned for the day at 1628 AEST (1728 AEDT) with 24 players still out on the course.
They’ll return Monday morning at 0600 AEST to resume their rounds and decide the championship winner.
Gates, 24, from Florida, was diplomatic about the costly ruling, although he admitted he felt play should have been halted before he and Senior played the ninth hole.
“There was nowhere to take any relief, no flat lie to place the ball,” said a saturated Gates, who after three unsuccessful drops placed his ball in the sand.
“The official gave his best interpretation of the rule at the time.
“At the seventh hole, I think is where we considered it almost unplayable. The eighth was a par three, so it didn’t matter … but the ninth hole was unplayable.”
Gates, who endured two putts lipping out, wasn’t blaming anyone for his bogey that dumped him from the lead.
“I can’t fault anyone for trying to get the tournament played, everyone’s trying their hardest but I’ve never played under these conditions before,” he said.
Like several other players, including defending champion Robert Allenby who has his annual charity golf day at Yarra Yarra on Monday, Gates had a 9am flight booked back to the US.
Geoff Ogilvy, a winner at Coolum in 2008, worked his way up to 10-under after 13 holes and looms as a threat, along with Richard Green, who also got to 10-under before play was stopped.
Conditions were so bad when Senior and Gates stepped onto the 10th tee to hit their drives, they felt they were “sinking”.
Senior lost his drive in the trees to the right while Gates just managed to keep his drive in the rough on the right.
“It’s dead as a door nail,” said Senior of his first shot on Monday morning.
Senior also questioned why the players had to return to the course so early when it would still be soaked.
“Why do we have to come back at 6am?,” he said
“We’re coming back, why not come back and have a nice time rather than get up and four o’clock in the morning.”
The last time players had to return on a Monday to complete a major tournament was the 1987 Australian Open at Kingston Heath won by Greg Norman.