A tricky rules situation caught Akshay Bhatia off guard during Round 2 of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. After finding the trees on the 13th hole, he opted for what seemed like a smart play into the eighth fairway.
There was just one problem – the eighth fairway was marked as internal out of bounds for players on 13. A rules official stepped in before Bhatia could hit his third shot to explain the situation.
“On the sheet it didn’t say that, though,” Bhatia protested, and even the commentators initially missed this detail. But the official showed him where the internal OB rule was listed at the bottom of the rules sheet.
Left with no choice, Bhatia had to head back to the trees and take a penalty stroke. From there, he played up the 13th fairway as intended, followed by an impressive fairway metal to within 10 feet of the pin. The two-putt that followed resulted in a double bogey.
It wasn’t all bad news for the lefthander, who started his Friday round on the back nine. He managed to close with a birdie for a 1-over 73, finishing at 2 under par through 36 holes. That’s good enough to make the cut, though he’s sitting 10 shots behind the leader.
The way I see it, this is a reminder that even the pros sometimes get caught out by local rules – it’s just part of the game. The internal OB rule might seem unusual, but it’s there to maintain the course’s intended challenge and prevent players from taking shortcuts.
