Graeme in front but can’t afford a go-slow
GRAEME McDOWELL hit the top of the Saudi International leader board after blowing his top at the European Tour for the slow-play penalty threat that heaps more pressure on his shoulders today.
The Northern Irishman will step out with his former Ryder Cup foursomes partner Victor Dubuisson for the first time since they delivered two points out of two for Europe at Gleneagles in 2014.
Leading by just one shot on 12 under par, it won’t just be his French friend he feels breathing down his neck when the final round gets underway.
For the referees are are watching him closely, having given him the golfing equivalent of a yellow card for taking too long to play a shot during Friday’s second round.
If he takes more than the allotted 40 seconds to hit his ball he faces an immediate one-stroke penalty, which could prove vital considering how tight it is at the top with third placed Gavin Green and defending champion Dustin Johnson among those within charging distance.
So it is understandable that McDowell should feel aggrieved that officials imposed that first ‘bad time’ considering he had just given an on-course interview to Sky Sports presenter Tim Barter on his walk down the fairway towards the offending shot.
Now he suggests players are going off the idea of granting the broadcast partner these innovative new mid-round insights because something bad tends to happen not long afterwards.
World No1 Brooks Koepka, meanwhile, vows that he would never entertain such an approach.
Safe to say then that those vying for the £441,770 winner’s cheque will not be going near any microphone until the cards are signed and a trophy is in their grasp.
‘The curse of Barter is starting to strengthen,’ said McDowell, only half joking after his third-round 66. ‘I feel for Tim as he is great and it’s a brilliant thing he is doing.
‘But guys are slowly not wanting to give him an interview because they always three-putt after talking to him, or something happens like my bad time.
‘There’s a lot of guys on the fence on this, they don’t want to get out of the zone and yesterday did not help things at all. I felt conscious for the first five or six holes today.
‘I felt there was a referee around every tree keeping an eye on me, trying to prove I am slow. But I shook it off.
‘I spoke to Keith Pelley (European Tour chief executive) about it on Friday night because I felt the referee should have had a little bit of leniency, but there was no quarter given whatsoever for a situation that was not out of my control but was very different.
‘Their side of the coin is they are trying to make the game faster. The other side is we are trying to make this game as cool as possible so the on-course interviews are an interesting take on things.
‘I gave them my final take on it, which was that the interview took me out of my rhythm and concentration. I also truthfully forgot the referee was there because I got out of the moment. So, therefore, I didn’t have the urgency I should have had to get into that shot.
‘That was my final argument and they say, ‘we stand by our decision’, so we drew a line in the sand.
‘I have spoken to Tim and told him there are zero hard feelings from my point of view.
‘In hindsight, we shouldn’t have done the interview but we did it and, subsequently, I paid the price for not getting back into the office, really.’
Yesterday the European Tour clarified their position insisting that from now on groups who have fallen out of position (on the clock) will not be approached for interviews.
That won’t be an issue for Koepka, though, who is baffled by the entire practice. ‘To be honest with you I don’t know any other sport that does interviews in the middle of play,’ said the American after his round of 65 put him six off the pace on six under par.
‘I know in football you’re not doing it and unless it’s in the Pro Bowl basketball you’re not doing it unless it’s half-time.
‘This is the only sport where you’re talking to people while they are playing.
‘I won’t do it. I’m not interested in talking about what just happened or the difficulty of the holes ahead. I’m just focussed on one shot at a time, where my ball’s at.
‘I understand why it might be beneficial for the fans but I don’t get it.’
Top Scot Grant Forrest put himself in a great position for a significant payday after a second consecutive 66 gave him a share of 10th place on five under par going into today’s final round.