Article Surfing Archive

Tiger Woods was distancing himself from angry claims that he was being more favourable treated by the R&A Officials during the opening round of the British Open at Carnoustie.

Tigers ball came to rest from his drive from the 10th tee against Television cables. Mr Holmes the R&A official with the party, tried and failed to move the cables himself and failed deemed them a immovable obstruction . Hence tiger was entitled and given a free drop. However Mark Roe the radio commentator who was also with the group told his listeners that in the twenty or so years he had played the European Tour he had never seen or heard of such a drop given. He suggested that Holmes only called it because it was Tiger Woods.He also went further by describing the lay as being awful, and most difficult for Tiger to make the shot. Roe stated it was very moveable and moments later went on to prove his point.

Later Roe was to be surprised even more to find out that Tiger had not asked for the rule to be invoked. Tiger Woods himself stated that he had been surprised to be offered the drop as he did not ask for it. ( Television Cables are normally classed as moveable but on this occasion immovable ).

Later Holmes said it was ridiculous that he had deemed the cables immovable because of whose ball it was, ( Tigers ), and that he had applied the letter of the rule. I couldn't move the cables, so they became immovable, and that is that.

Tiger finished his first round with a two under par 69, four strokes behind the days leader Sergio Garcia who blasted a magnificent 64 to lead Paul McGinley from Ireland by two strokes