Matt Fitzpatrick loses it on PGA Tour official after ‘outrageous’ ruling as he misses out on $25 million tournament
Matt Fitzpatrick’s PGA Tour season ended on an angry note on Sunday.
The Englishman failed to make the top 30 and advance to East Lake for the season-ending PGA Tour Championship — and in part, has a defective driver and a dubious ruling to blame.
Fitzpatrick feuded with PGA officials on the eighth hole Sunday at the BMW Championship over switching drivers after his had a visible crack in it.
🚨😡⛳️ #WATCH: Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler are not happy with a rules official: “This is outrageous, it’s an absolute disgrace.” @MattFitzLegion @SchefflerFans Do you agree with the ruling? pic.twitter.com/Qv0c6M03j0
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 25, 2024 
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Matt Fitzpatrick discusses his driver with a rules official at the BMW Championship. @NUCLRGLF/X
Officials ruled the crack was not significant enough to warrant Fitzpatrick switching to a new driver head.
Fitzpatrick complained the decision was “outrageous” and an “absolute joke” as he went on to hook his drive on No. 8 left and “about 50 yards shorter than it’s gone all day.”
“In our assessment, not only with the first official but also a couple of others including myself, that threshold of being significantly damaged hadn’t been significant met,” PGA Tour chief referee Stephen Cox said, according to Golf Digest.
“Although there was a small crack in the face, there was no separation in the metals, and on that basis, that threshold wasn’t met, so his only choice in that case was to continue using that club. Now, if that club were to get worse, then we would obviously continue to reassess, and at that point, he may have been able to have taken it out, but in his case, I think he chose not to continue to use it and proceeded with his 3-wood from then on.”
Kevin Kisner, who was on the call for PGA Tour Live, slammed the rule as “terrible.”
“I guarantee you he hit that to prove a point,” Kisner said after Fitzpatrick’s wayward drive on 8.
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Officials ruled the crack was not significant enough. @NUCLRGLF/X
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Matt Fitzpatrick was not pleased with the decision. @NUCLRGLF/X
The top 30 on the money list advance from the BMW Championship, which was held at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado, to the Tour Championship, and after birdieing the first three holes, Fitzpatrick appeared to be poised to move on.
The Tour Championship, the final event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, has a lucrative prize pool with $25 million going to the winner and even the player who finishes last gets $550,000.
Fitzpatrick bogeyed No. 8 and doubled No. 10 before rebounding down the stretch, though not enough to make the cut.
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The official inspects the club. @NUCLRGLF/X
Fitzpatrick finished tied for 28th in the BMW and 40th overall on the money list.
Newly minted Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley won the event by one shot over Ludvig Aberg, Adam Scott and Sam Burns.
