Pro’s rules break after airmailed approach leads to wild birdie

We’ve seen “grandstanding” in the highest levels of professional golf — take for instance the “Great Wall of Dinah” at the 2020 ANA Inspiration — but this week’s Italian Open may have taken things to a whole new level.

The hospitality suites off the 18th hole at Adriatic Golf Club are literally feet from the putting surface, bringing them well into play for even good swings.

Italy’s Andrea Pavan was sure thankful for them on Saturday, though.

Coming to the final hole of the day during the third round of the event at six under, four back, Pavan missed the fairway with his tee shot and caught a massive flier out of the light left rough. His ball sailed directly over the flagstick and would have landed a few paces beyond the green in the rough. That would have left him a short-sided chip to a back-left pin.

Instead, the ball made a big thud as it hit directly into the hospitality suites, somehow missing the glass panels surrounding it.

And the ball was never seen again. Well, maybe it was, but Pavan didn’t find it. In most cases, a lost ball would have meant the two-time DP World Tour winner would have to head back to where he played the last shot, drop and play again under the penalty of stroke and distance for a lost ball.

But in this circumstance, Pavan and a DP World Tour official determined it was virtually certain Pavan’s ball had disappeared within the hospitality area, meaning he would be granted free relief from a Temporary Immovable Obstruction. A fair ruling as Pavan would have easily found his ball had it not been for the suite.

A similar situation occurred at this year’s Sony Open when Carl Yuan was awarded free relief when his ball couldn’t be located in a hospitality area. Only this time, Pavan got a way better break thanks to the proximity of the grandstand. It was practically on the green.

Pavan would get to drop one club-length from the point where the ball last crossed into the hospitality area, as he told his playing partners. That meant his drop ended up being within one club-length of the grandstand, which was only about one club-length off the green to begin with!

His ball ended up on the edge of the fringe, roughly 20 feet from the hole.

From there Pavon could putt and just got his ball to fall in the cup on the last roll for an unlikely birdie.

“That’s the first bridie I’ve seen from the… hospitality unit,” an announcer said.

The birdie was crucial for Pavan as it moved him to seven under, just three off the lead. A third DP World Tour title could be crucial for the 35-year-old as he only regained his DP World Tour status on the Challenge Tour last season.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.