On Sunday’s final round of the 2026 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Robert “Bob” MacIntyre’s hopes of contention took a pivotal turn on the 11th hole after a pitch-mark dispute on the fairway. The Scottish professional believed the ball had come to rest directly alongside a pitch-mark created by an approach shot. He, therefore, thought that he should be entitled to free relief under the rules. But the on-course referee denied relief. When he asked for a second opinion, he got the same answer, which left him furious.
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Therefore, when he signed the card at the end of the round and came for an interview with The Scotsman, he asked, “Do you want the calm Bob or explosive Bob?”
The 30-year-old then revealed that his play throughout the tournament had been inconsistent. According to him, he shouldn’t even be there in contention. But once he was, he wanted to stay in. However, the new model local rule, which extends Rule 16.3 (embedded-ball rule), changed everything for the two-time PGA Tour winner.
“What is the point of changing the rules for a plugged ball when I have split the fairway on 11? The ball has pitched in a pitch mark but, because the pitch mark has been deemed to have been stood on, cut or whatever it was, I didn’t get relief,” he added.
MacIntyre started the par-four 11th with a 311-yard drive on the fairway. But because he didn’t get relief and was forced to play from a plugged lie, he had to swing harder. This sent the ball beyond the green and into the rough. The Scottish professional then chipped from the rough but stayed in the rough. In his fourth shot, he hit within three feet of the hole before making the bogey putt. He then added another bogey on the par-five 12th, which, according to MacIntyre, was because he “lost the plot from” the previous hole.
Besides the ruling itself, he was mad about the confusion these rules create.
“But the rule is absolutely ridiculous. It is all down to a referee’s decision. It looked as though it was plugged and that pitchmark could have happened this morning. They need to simplify the rules. If it is in a plugmark, it’s in a plugmark.”
According to DP World Tour chief referee Mark Litton, though, the rule is simple. He told The Scotsman that the referee decides the ruling based on whether the ball is below ground level in a pitch-mark. The golfer gets relief if the referee can visually confirm that. But in this case, the ball was above the level and in a partly repaired pitch-mark, which is why MacIntyre didn’t get relief.
Ultimately, MacIntyre finished his final round at three-under 69. This brought his cumulative score over four rounds to 13-under 275. He finished four strokes behind the winner, JJ Spaun.