DOUBLE major-winning Martin Kaymer's uncertainty where his ball crossed a lateral hazard saw him eventually being cut from the final two rounds of the BMW International Open in Munich.
There was plenty of discussion with a Tour rules official and course marshals after the German's drive at the dog-leg-left par-five 18th hole. His ball came to rest in reeds on the edge of a large water hazard, behind a line of trees left of the fairway on the Munchen Golf Club course.
Kaymer was two-under par at the time and right on the cut-mark, but he looked far from pleased with the eventual decision where by former Tour player and now rules official Mark Litton to take a penalty drop under Rule 26-1 (c).
The world No.21 had to drop in the rough before playing a third shot short of the green, but he then hit the flag with his fourth before two-putting for a bogey 6 and missing the cut by a stroke at one-over par.
Kaymer had taken the same line during Wednesday's Pro-Am and also on day-one of the event, while he also took the "Kaymer-line" over the corner of the dog-leg en route to victory in 2008.
"I was not sure where the ball last crossed the water. I obviously couldn't see from the tee, as there were a lot of trees in the way," said Kaymer. "In the end, the decision was made by the TV but there were a lot of different views, and opinion was pretty-much split down the middle.
"The decision went against the player, so you just have to go where they say and accept the worse of the two options."
Tour Chief Referee, Andy McFee explained: "It was a 50-50 guess on Martin's part where his ball had crossed as TV pictures showed his ball clipping trees, but there was not that certainty where it had crossed.
"Martin of course was 300 yards away, back on the tee, and without that 98% certainty you give that certainty to the field and you the player take the worst option.
"That is the history of this Tour and that is the history of that rule.
"And at this level of the sport you can't be 50-50 and that particular Rule was tightened up so that a player needs to be 95% plus virtual certainty."
And one of the first calls to McFee was fellow Chief Referee, John Paramor.
"JP [Paramor] was the only call I received who was watching it at home and he saw the TV pictures before I did, and said there is no way Martin could be certain where his ball crossed the line," said McFee.
Kaymer's omission over the final two rounds robs the event of it's star home attraction.
Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello carded a 67 to lead the event by a shot a 12-under par with England's James Morrison (66) at 11-under par.
Paul Lawrie also bogeyed the 18th in a round of 71 to be the leading Scot at five under par and three shots inside the 142 cut off mark.
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