Jaidee shoots the lights out, saved by local rules

I switched over to the European Tour golf last night and was immediately greeted with Thongchai Jaidee smacking golf balls into a light pole, which you can see in the video below courtesy of the European Tour.

The Avantha Masters being played at the DLF and Country Club has floodlights on the golf course and Thongchai Jaidee hit one with his tee shot. He asked for a free drop away from the pole which the rules official declined.

In an attempt to make a point, he hit two very strange and dangerous golf shots straight into the light pole. They rebounded back past his head and out-of-bounds. He eventually played his seventh shot up to the green before an on course commentator alerted Jaidee to the local rules: any player hitting any of the floodlights must reply the shot, with no penalty.

Jaidee went back to the tee and to once again hit his first tee shot – which he sliced way right.

It is another case of a professional golfer not knowing the local rules. If the commentator had not mentioned anything, he may have been disqualified from the tournament had he not replayed his tee shot before starting the next hole.

Preferred lies: Don’t be an idiot

Appleby to read the local rules