There may be a newly agreed Code of Conduct in place across all four Major Championships, but the early signs this week suggest it might not make much of a difference.
Justin Thomas was not the only one to show his frustration on the first day of the PGA Championship, as Aronimink showed its teeth.
It comes after several players lost their cool at the Masters last month, with Robert MacIntyre’s middle-fingered gesture and Sergio Garcia‘s tee box fit the real lowlights.
Following his opening-round 80, MacIntyre was quietly reprimanded by officials for his behavior, while Garcia was given an official warning.
With complaints rolling in, it seems the powers that be have had enough of petulant behavior on the course.
The PGA of America’s chief championships officer, Kerry Haigh, said that the new Code of Conduct rules came about after several meetings between the PGA, Augusta National, The R&A, and the USGA, as well as the PGA and DP World Tours, in which they discussed “how to come up with a program that we feel is fair and effective”.
“If a player does something egregious, then, unfortunately, we would give a warning to that player,” Haigh explained. “And if they were to do it again, there would be a two-shot penalty.”
Although McIlroy, Rama, and Thomas were seen thumping their clubs on a fiery first day in Pennsylvania, it’s not clear whether any warnings were issued.
Golf Monthly understands it is a three-strike system that carries over throughout the tournament, with a warning moving onto a two-stroke penalty and then disqualification for a third breach.
At the media day for The Open at Royal Birkdale last month, R&A CEO Mark Darbon said a Code of Conduct was being discussed.
“We’ve been working closely with the organisers of the other Majors and the tours more broadly,” said Darbon. “I would…
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