Lottie Woad struggled to find her footing.
Then, after a two-stroke penalty, she fell in the third round of Saturday’s US Women’s Open.
The sequence came from a greenside bunker on Riviera Country Club’s 9th hole, where Woad’s second shot connected uphill and about a yard from the fairway. He was stuck. The main problem was his foot.
Standing normally, Woad was slipping, and he struggled to find stability. Peacock network cameras showed him trying to push into the sand with his back (right) foot, and at one point, his friend, David Taylor, put his left foot behind his right foot. Woad continued to push. At one point, he slipped down into the basement. An officer was called. Woad and Taylor said they saw a bunker liner and wondered if that would lead to relief, but, following a seven-minute conference, they were denied.
After trying to place his right foot again, Woad struck. His ball didn’t connect – but it bounced forward about an inch before it slid back into the bunker. From there, he hit his second shot to 2 feet, and put one in for what he believed was a bogey five.
It was more than that. There was a review, and after a while, Woad’s score was seven. Controversial was Woad’s status. At 12:20 pm local time in LA, reporters were told that Woad was assessed a two-stroke penalty, under Rule 8.1a of the Laws of Golf, for “improving his condition in the bunker.”
A Peacock network microphone picked up an official who spoke with Woad telling him to “be careful creating a situation,” but no penalty was called. When contacted by GOLF.com, a USGA spokesperson said an official monitors all feeds and “as this situation became apparent, before the umpire could assist, we began to review it.”
Three times into the Peacock broadcast, the commentator was concerned about Woad’s actions.
“So [the official] I just spoke and I was a little worried that it looked like he was trying to create a situation,” said the analyst. You’re not allowed to do that.”
“This is what I’m worried about,” said the analyst. “Caddy came in and helped him. He’s really digging his feet and moving the sand.”
“He should be careful not to create some kind of standoff,” said the analyst. “Just watching the ball, he was kicking the sand. The card, David Taylor, came in and did the same.”
From there, Woad played one-under par, and finished with a three-over 74.
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