Billy Horschel justified as The Open Championship | Golf News

Billy Horschel was proper to specific his displeasure with Open Championship officers over the choice to forgo designated bunker rakers at this week’s occasion at Royal Portrush. It comes as the PGA Tour has been urged to begin shelling out brutal punishments for gradual play.

The 153rd Open commenced in Northern Ireland on Thursday, and with some rounds taking as long as three hours for six holes, caddies are taking on extra obligations. Historically, the R&A employed volunteers from the British and International Greenskeepers Association (BIGGA) to rake bunkers following gamers’ sand photographs.

This apply was well-regarded by both gamers and caddies for sustaining the tempo of play and guaranteeing bunkers remained in high situation. However, just before the match started, R&A chief government Mark Darbon introduced that caddies can be tasked with raking bunkers this yr, though he didn’t totally elaborate on the explanations. Elsewhere, Scottie Scheffler’s feedback on golf have been slammed.

“This week we’ve got the caddies raking the bunkers. It’s a change for us, but we think a good one. [There are] A number of factors. We just think it’s a good model for us here at Portrush,” mentioned Darbon to the press.

World No. 27 Billy Horschel, who tied for second at Royal Troon final yr, is sad with the change.

The 38-year-old golfer, sidelined from Royal Portrush due to hip surgical procedure earlier in the yr, has been keenly observing The Open from home and took to social media to criticize the R&A’s determination to dispense with the volunteer rakers.

“No designated bunker rakers this week is such a disappointment,” he posted. “I know the caddies love them, as well as the players. Very odd decision by The Open not to have them.”

Horschel’s annoyance was echoed by Dame Laura Davies, a four-time main winner and commentator for Sky Sports. On Thursday, she remarked: “It will slow play down. All we ever hear about is slow play.

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“Normal bunkers on the tour [are one thing], but these ones you could have to be actually exact. You can depart the particular person behind you an absolute nightmare.

“[The caddies] are all really professional, but they might have to rush the odd one and that can have consequences for the group behind. I don’t agree with that.”

This yr, the absence of devoted bunker rakers is not the only tweak the R&A has made to its sand entice ways. They’ve rolled out a new rake design, and former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley thinks it is making a important distinction.

He commented: “New rakes with wider gaps and longer teeth making greenside bunker shots extra challenging this week as players are struggling to create spin.”

Jacob Skov Oleson from Denmark has set the tempo early at Royal Portrush as the clubhouse chief. The 26-year-old British Amateur champion from final yr carded a four-under-par 67.

Joining him at the highest of the leaderboard in the clubhouse with a rating of four-under-par is Li Haotong, a four-time DP World Tour victor who tied for third at the 2017 Open.