Updated at 1:13 p.m. ET:
Sung Kang’s team issued the following statement on Monday to the PGA Tour’s communications department:
“He is standing by the ruling that was made by PGA Tour Rules officials on Sunday and will have no further comment, other than he is looking forward to focusing on finishing out the season strong, and he is excited about the opportunity to play in The Open Championship again in a few weeks.”
The PGA Tour also released the following statement:
“During Sunday’s final round of the 2018 Quicken Loans National, there was a discussion between fellow competitors Sung Kang and Joel Dahmen as to where Kang’s second shot crossed the margin of the lateral hazard at the par-5 10th hole before ultimately coming to rest in the hazard. A PGA Tour Rules Official handled the ruling, interviewing both players, caddies and marshals in the vicinity. The official then took Kang back to where he hit his second shot, and Kang confirmed his original belief that his shot had indeed crossed the margin of the hazard. With no clear evidence to prove otherwise, it was determined by the official that Kang could proceed with his fourth shot as intended, following a penalty stroke and subsequent drop. The PGA Tour will have no additional comment on this matter.”
Original story:
Hours after the Quicken Loans National ended, Joel Dahmen took to Twitter to contend that playing partner Sung Kang “cheated” by taking an improper drop on the 10th hole during the final round.
Kang pulled his 247-yard approach on the par-5 into a hazard left of the green, but there was a dispute over where the ball had last crossed the line of the hazard – which would be the point from which Kang could take his penalty drop. Kang contended that the ball had crossed back over land near the green, while Dahmen believed the point the ball last crossed was farther back.
The dispute eventually included a discussion with rules officials and led to a 25-minute delay according to Dahmen, to the point where the next group of Ben Crane and Ryan Palmer played through on No. 10.
With the two players left at an impasse, Kang was eventually allowed to drop near the green and ended up getting up and down to save par. He went on to shoot a bogey-free 64 that moved him into solo third place, earning a check of $482,800 and a spot in The Open later this month.
After logging into social media, Dahmen didn’t mince words over his view of the situation:
Kang cheated. He took a bad drop from a hazard. I argued until I was blue. I lost.
— Joel Dahmen (@Joel_Dahmen) July 2, 2018
It was a typical dispute about where or if it crossed the hazzard. It clearly did not cross the hazzard. We went back and forth for 25 minutes and he ended up dropping closer to the green.
— Joel Dahmen (@Joel_Dahmen) July 2, 2018
GolfChannel.com has reached out to the PGA Tour for further clarification on the incident and subsequent ruling.
Dahmen ended the event in a tie for 23rd after a final-round 71. Following his initial tweet, he was asked why he ultimately signed to attest Kang’s scorecard.
“At that point there is nothing I can do,” Dahmen wrote. “If I don’t sign the card, a rules official will. I would just be delaying the inevitable.”
Source: Internet
