The sand trap is the nightmare of many golfers. One of them cost Abraham Ancer dearly, Thursday, during the 1st round of the Masters Tournament. But not for its degree of difficulty.
According to the rule in force, when a player sees his ball land in a bunker, he cannot touch the sand with his stick before hitting it, otherwise he will be assessed a penalty of two strokes.
Even if only a few kernels are stirred (for example, while performing a mini practice swing), the act violates the rules. Ancer learned it the hard way, though he probably already suspected it.
In the evening, the Mexican professional golfer shared on Twitter a video showing, in very close up, the awkwardness for which he was slapped on the fingers.
I was just informed that I have been assessed a 2 stroke penalty for unintentionally grazing the sand in my backswing on hole 15. While I’m gutted, I can’t wait to get after it tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5ZOlthQzeE
– Abraham Ancer (@Abraham_Ancer) April 9, 2021
Two penalty strokes… A severe penalty for such a light crime. But it is so.
Finally, Abraham Ancer handed in a card of 75, three strokes above par. This fault, which he says he committed in good faith (we take his word for it), caused him to lose 21 places in the standings.
The 30-year-old athlete will have the opportunity to take himself. We bet he won’t make the same mistake twice.
(Credit: @ Abraham_Ancer / Twitter)
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