The DP World Tour’s handling of a recent rules controversy has sparked a wave of anger among players and caddies, exposing fresh cracks in the Tour’s disciplinary process.

Sam Bairstow was hit with the maximum fine of £25,000 ($33,000) after video footage surfaced of him breaching the rules during the opening round of the Nexo Championship at Trump International Links. The clip, filmed by a fan on their phone, clearly showed the 27-year-old golfer’s ball sinking deeper into heavy rough as he shot it. However, instead of replacing the ball and taking a penalty, he played it from its new position, ultimately scoring a five.

After being confronted with the evidence, Bairstow accepted the error and disqualified himself from the event for signing an incorrect card for a five when he should have signed for a seven because of a two-stroke penalty. Alongside him, Calum Hill was also disqualified in a separate incident at the same event. Having struggled through a poor first round and faltering in the second, Hill failed to hole out on the 8th hole and picked up his ball, triggering an automatic disqualification under the rules.

Regardless, for Baristow, what seemed like the end of the matter quickly escalated once the footage circulated among players and caddies. Many inside the locker room were stunned to learn that the sanction stopped at a fine, with no suspension attached.

Rg“This has been hushed up and many of us are unhappy. This is affecting people’s livings and the Tour must be more transparent and not be so paranoid about a wider negative reaction,” one Tour professional told Telegraph Sport.

Moreover, the fallout has also shifted to the Tour’s eventual punishment of the player. Critics argue the punishment was too lenient given the circumstances, and that the lack of a suspension sends the wrong message. That frustration has only been heightened by the fact that Bairstow has already earned more than $1.4 million in career prize money since turning pro in 2022. To many of his peers, a $30,000 fine for a serious breach is little more than a slap on the wrist.

The official statement stressed that Bairstow breached the Tour’s Code of Behaviour and had been sanctioned “accordingly,” with the player retaining a right to appeal. “Following the review of video footage after the conclusion of round one, it was deemed that Bairstow’s actions had caused his ball to move prior to playing a stroke from the sand dunes on the 14th hole. Before the start of round two, Bairstow felt the right decision was to disqualify himself from the tournament,” the statement read.

All in all, the pros are unhappy and concerned about DP Tour’s lack of transparency and its policy of not revealing the sanctions in cases like these, as this is not the first time DP Tour has come under scrutiny.

Secrecy around LIV Golf penalties

Transparency in disciplinary actions has long been a sticking point in DP Tour. While it has taken action against players for rules breaches or participation in conflicting events, the way those sanctions are communicated has often left players with more questions than answers. This lack of clarity fuels speculation about whether decisions are applied fairly or consistently.

The LIV Golf saga is a good example of this. When players joined the rival circuit without official releases, the Tour issued fines and suspensions, but rarely provided full details on a case-by-case basis. Public statements referred to penalties ranging from £12,500 to £100,000 per breach, and suspension of up to eight tournaments. Yet the identities of those receiving specific punishments were often left vague. That opacity created frustration with players like Lee Westwood. “People say I knew exactly what would happen, but nobody told us the extent of the punishments,” Westwood told the Daily Telegraph newspaper back in 2023. This was in contrast to the PGA Tour’s response, as it publicly announced suspension for all players in the first LIV Golf event.

The DP Tour defended its approach by pointing to the complexity of the situation. Officials argued that sanctions were determined individually, taking into account the impact on sponsors, broadcasters, and the Tour’s broader schedule. An independent Sport Resolutions panel later ruled that the DP World Tour had acted within its rights, with reasonable and proportionate regulations. Even so, the perception of secrecy lingered, suggesting that the Tour’s disciplinary framework might benefit from clearer communication.