After teeing off on the par-5 eighth hole, Matt Fitzpatrick noticed a slight crack in his driver, which was clearly affecting his ball flight.
He called in a PGA Tour rules official to inspect the small crack that left a scar in the center of the face. The official then used his fingernail to rough up the crack, eager to see if Fitzpatrick could change driver heads mid-round. The 2022 U.S. Open champion said he has a couple of spare driver heads in his locker and would do so at the turn if allowed.
However, the umpire, citing the United States Golf Association (USGA) Model Local Rule, ruled that the club could not be replaced because the cracks were not severe enough, so Fitzpatrick could not replace the head because there was no significant damage.
The British The verdict: “Not at all” He added that he would have to hit his tee shots with a 3-wood for the rest of the day.
Matt Fitzpatrick, ranked 36th in the FedEx Cup standings this week, sought arbitration for a cracked driver.
USGA Model Local Rule G-9 states that a club cannot be replaced solely due to a crack, and because there was no significant damage at the time, replacement of the club was not permitted. pic.twitter.com/X5kEPkee1q
— PGA TOUR LIVE (@PGATOURLIVE) August 25, 2024
“There was a small crack in the centre of the face which you could see and also feel to some extent. Now the Committee has to decide whether the club is significantly damaged or not. Unlike the normal rules of golf which apply to everyone else, he can replace the damaged club because it’s not damaged by abuse, for example,” explained Stephen Cox, chair umpire at this week’s BMW Championship.
“But the PGA Tour, very similar to other major golf tours around the world, has slightly stricter guidelines on whether a player is allowed to take a damaged club out of play. The club has to be significantly damaged. In our assessment, the first umpire, as well as several others, including myself, the criteria for significantly damaged was not met by a large margin. There was a small crack in the face, but no delamination of metal, so that criteria was not met, and so in that case, he had no choice but to continue using the club.”
Cox added that if Fitzpatrick sustained further damage, the Tour would re-examine and reconsider the decision. So Fitzpatrick tried to use his cracked driver on the difficult par-4 10th hole, but he snap-hooked his tee shot, resulting in a double and further frustration. Fitzpatrick then hit a 3-wood for the rest of the course.
Still, Fitzpatrick bounced back a little with four birdies and two bogeys in the final six holes. He finished the final round with a two-under 70, moving him into a tie for 26th place. But his late comeback wasn’t enough. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick did not qualify for next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta, as the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings will compete at East Lake. Fitzpatrick is expected to finish 36th, which will mean he will miss out on the Tour Championship for the first time since 2021.
Not only did Fitzpatrick leave Colorado with a cracked driver, but his PGA Tour season ended on a sour note.
At least he finished in the top 50, guaranteeing him a spot in all signature events next season, and hopefully they’ll find a better fit driver by then.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
