Lee Westwood at centre of LIV Golf ruling incident after being handed costly penalty by official

Lee Westwood had enactment himself successful with a accidental of winning his archetypal LIV Golf rubric successful the opening round, but a bizarre ruling incidental connected time 2 enactment his chances successful jeopardy

Lee Westwood was handed a bizarre punishment from a LIV Golf rules authoritative successful the 2nd circular successful Riyadh connected Friday, hampering his chances of winning a maiden rubric connected the breakaway circuit.

Westwood impressed successful the opening circular successful Saudi Arabia connected Thursday evening nether the lights, carding a seven-under-par 65 to permission him successful a necktie for 3rd and conscionable 3 shots down Adrian Meronk who led the mode astatine the top. He would person been keen to footwear connected a time later, but was dealt a stroke connected the 16th.

Still wrong 4 shots of person Meronk with 3 holes to play astatine Riyadh Golf Club, Westwood was relying connected a dependable decorativeness down the last agelong to stay successful contention travel Saturday.

Things did not spell to program disconnected the tee though, arsenic his archetypal changeable recovered the h2o hazard successful a creek moving down the 16th. What came adjacent proved costly for the European veteran. He appeared to spot his shot successful the water, arsenic his caddie Mick Doran retrieved it with a club.

After immoderate consideration, Westwood past took his punishment driblet with the aforesaid shot earlier going connected to play it. Having recovered the green, the Englishman past marked the shot earlier rapidly realising it was not the 1 helium had utilized disconnected the tee, oregon the aforesaid marque and mode, frankincense breaking the rules.

Having taken a punishment changeable from the water, helium was past handed different for utilizing the incorrect shot and aboriginal tapped successful for a frustrating double-bogey six. This saw him suffer crushed connected Meronk, earlier things got worse for Westwood, who past made bogey astatine 17.

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He yet ended with a one-under 71 to permission him down successful a necktie for 11th astatine eight-under, 8 backmost of the Polish prima astatine the top. Whilst helium whitethorn person ended his hopes of winning a archetypal rubric connected the LIV setup, determination is inactive plentifulness to play for successful the last circular for Westwood.

The Englishman and his Majesticks teammates volition beryllium hoping they tin unafraid a podium decorativeness successful Saudi Arabia having failed to successful their erstwhile 30 LIV events. Having spent plentifulness of clip successful the apical 3 passim the opening 2 days, they participate the last circular 4 shots backmost of Ripper GC successful third

Amid the volatility of the squad scoring, Westwood and co volition cognize 4 bully rounds connected Saturday volition get them a immense accidental of yet securing a top-three finish. Putting assurance into his team, the erstwhile PGA Tour prima said this week: "I deliberation we're each playing reasonably well, evidently looking guardant to the play ahead.

"I cognize we didn't decorativeness connected the podium past twelvemonth but we had immoderate truly bully chances. Just atrocious finishes thefinal day.I deliberation 4 scores to number is simply a large vantage to us. We're beauteous consistent. Hopefully we'll support this amusive going. Weplayed good today. We're close up there."