Changwoo Lee's participation within the Moutai Singapore Open, a cease on the Asian Tour's Worldwide Sequence, ended… prematurely. The South Korean golfer was disqualified for displaying as much as the tee 5 minutes and 23 seconds late. These 23 seconds over the restrict price him dearly: the lack of a contest that might have marked the turning level of his season.
Changwoo Lee, outcomes
Changwoo Lee is a type of struggling to carve out a steady future on the earth of golf. He's 31 years outdated, ranked 1,437th on the earth, and has a trophy cupboard empty to mud. Hanging someplace, nevertheless, is his navy service discharge, necessary for anybody born in South Korea: Lee served his nation from December 2021 to mid-2023, staying away from the golf course.
The golfer is at the moment coming off a troubled season: between June and October, he missed the lower in 9 consecutive matches on the Asian and Korean Excursions. Slowly, issues started to show round in October, as demonstrated by his three consecutive weekends on the Asian Tour.
The competitors on the Singapore Island Golf Membership was subsequently a significant one. The Worldwide Sequence represents the privileged gateway to LIV Golf, the Saudi-based circuit with million-dollar prize cash. Additionally competing in Singapore is Italian Stefano Mazzoli, contemporary from incomes a DP World Tour card.
We’ll by no means know the South Korean golfer's present type as a result of Lee was unable to play on Thursday, November sixth.
What we do know, nevertheless, is that ignorance of the principles of golf is not any excuse. Rule 5.3 units the utmost delay for teeing off at 5 minutes. Anybody arriving inside that point restrict receives a two-stroke penalty; anybody exceeding it’s disqualified. And so it was.
Twenty-three seconds: a hair's breadth, however sufficient to erase per week's price of labor. That's what occurred to Changwoo Lee. However what do twenty-three seconds signify in a golfer's routine on competitors day?
We will solely think about: leaving apart the logistical points (alarm clock, visitors, visitors lights…), we are able to think about that 23 seconds correspond to some moments spent too lengthy practising. Maybe that final ball performed on the placing inexperienced. Or just a few seconds of hesitation earlier than leaving the warm-up space.
Twenty-three seconds: interminable for the stopwatch positioned on the tee of gap one, slipping away one way or the other for Changwoo Lee.
