Spieth’s lick trick stumps ref

ON Saturday afternoon by the third tee at Doral, the European Tour’s chief referee, Andy McFee, was to be found poring over a rules book. It’s not often over the past 35 years of officiating he has been left stumped by a query, but this was one such occasion and by world No 1 Jordan Spieth (below) to boot. ‘Is it OK to put some saliva on the bottom of my putter?’ the American wanted to know, in an effort to get some traction when he addressed his putts on the slick surfaces. ‘It doesn’t sit well with me but I can’t think of anything that covers it in the rules,’ said McFee to the 22-yearold. ‘I shall get back to you.’ So McFee consulted with his colleagues, who were equally unsure. They referred it to the US governing body, the United States Golf Association, thousands of miles away in New Jersey. By the eighth hole McFee had a ruling of sorts for Spieth. The USGA were going to talk about it further but for now had decreed the action unlawful, citing Rule 4-2a which stipulates that during a round ‘the playing characteristics of a club must not be purposely changed by adjustment or by any other means.’ McFee said: ‘Does this cover what Spieth wanted to do? To be honest I’m not sure, but I think most golfers would agree it sounds right.’

All these millions of rounds of golf, therefore, going back to the mid-19th century — and still something crops up that leaves everyone nonplussed and struggling for an answer. What an unfathomable

game this is.