Thai Caught Cheating in Hong Kong Open Golf Tournament

[bust]

I was actually watching this live. Interestingly the course official was a Thai as well. Or at least spoke fluent Thai.

Golfers left fuming after rival's 'blatant cheating' stuns golf world.The Aussie star was made to wait 20 minutes in the final round of the Hong Kong Open.

 

Cameron Smith was caught up in extraordinary scenes in the final round of the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, with the actions of playing partner Phachara Khongwatmai leaving the golf world stunned. The Aussie star had to settle for second place behind New Zealander Ben Campbell, but it was the brazen conduct of Khongwatmai that drew all the attention.

The Thai player had a one-shot lead over Smith with three holes to play, but things took a staggering turn on the 16th. Khongwatmai sprayed his drive into some thick bushes off the fairway on the par-4 hole, and then failed in his first attempt to hack it out.

He then sparked an extraordinary 20-minute delay as he tried to convince officials to give him an 'unplayable lie', effectively holding the tournament to ransom as he agonised over his next move. Smith and Campbell were left fuming over the delay, with both appearing very perturbed by Khongwatmai's conduct.

 

  Khongwatmai appeared to contravene the rules when he brazenly broke some tree branches in order to get a better shot, with Campbell protesting his rival's actions. “He can’t stand all over this, can he?” the Kiwi said. “I think you need to get another official. He’s broken these branches here … Look at that, these just got broken.”

The TV commentators couldn't believe what they were seeing. "I've never seen this before," one said. "You get the impression his playing partners are not happy." Fans were also left stunned on social media, with one labelling Khongwatmai's actions "blatant cheating".

[Mekong]

What do you when “bending the rules” back home such as Police Force and Elections garnishes positive results, for some Thais it is seen as the norm. (especially the level of society where golfers come from)