GOLF CHIEFS CLARIFY CADDIE RULE AFTER PENALTY CONTROVERSY

Golf chiefs have clarified the new rules on caddie alignment following two players controversially hit with stroke penalties at recent tournaments. China's Li Haotong was slapped with a two-shot penalty at the Dubai Desert Classic while Denny Mccarthy received an identical sanction at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The new rule10.2b (4) bars caddies from standing behind a golfer once the player has begun to address their ball. Confusion over its application saw Li punished when his caddie was deemed to have moved aside only after Li had begun his putting stance, while Mccarthy was sanctioned for a similar offence.

Although the Royal & Ancient later said Li had been correctly sanctioned in line with the rules, Mccarthy's penalty was revoked after tournament officials said other players had not been punished for the same offence.

The R&A and USGA issued a statement to clarify the application of the rule moving forward, saying that if a player backs away from taking a stance, he was not now "considered to have begun a stance for the stroke."

"Therefore, a player can now back away from his or her stance anywhere on the course and avoid a breach of Rule 10.2b(4) if the caddie had been standing in a location behind the ball," the statement further said. Players would also only be punished if a caddie was "deliberately" aware that a player was entering a stance to take a stroke and was standing "on or close" to the line of play behind the ball.

"Experience has taught us that introducing a new rule requires us to balance patience with a willingness to act quickly when necessary," said USGA senior managing director of governance Thomas Pagel.