AUGUSTA, Ga. – A bad hole got worse for Graeme McDowell early Sunday at the Masters.
The Northern Irishman hit his approach shot long into the par-4 third hole and had chipped to 7 feet when things became complicated.
A bee landed on McDowell’s ball mark and as he went to brush it away he unintentionally brushed away his ball mark. “Clumsy, very clumsy,” he said.
After he’d two-putted for his bogey he was informed by a rule officials he would be penalized a stroke for moving his coin, making his bogey a double bogey.
Two holes later, however, he was told by another official that there would be no penalty and his score reverted to bogey.
“I told [the second official] to follow me for the rest of the day, it was the first time someone saved me a shot on a hole,” smiled McDowell, who finished with a 73.