Brooks Koepka's caddie Ricky Elliott appeared to signal advice to Gary Woodland and his caddie, but no violation was called.
Masters
Brooks Koepka ended the first round of the Masters tied for the lead with a fantastic round of 7-under, but it didn't come without a bit of controversy.
On the par-5 15th at Augusta National, Koepka hit a brilliant second shot into the green to give himself a putt for eagle.
After the stroke, Koepka's caddie Ricky Elliott appeared to mouth "five" to Gary Woodland's caddie Brennan Little. Viewers following the action at home noted that he could be indicating that Koepka had hit a five iron on the shot.
—John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) April 6, 2023
According to the rules of golf, players are not allowed to offer or ask for advice of other players throughout a round, with violations costing a two-stroke penalty.
The Masters looked into the matter and ultimately determined that Koepka would not be penalized. In a statement, the Competition Committee wrote that "All involved were adament that no advice was given or requested."
Koepka also addressed the issue while speaking with reporters after his round.
"Yeah, we looked at it when we got back in," Koepka said. "[Gary Woodland and his caddie] had no idea what we were hitting. They didn't even know because — I know that fact because GW asked me what we hit walking off, when we were walking down. So that's all I can give you."
The potential violation is complicated by the fact that caddies are often charged with signalling what clubs are being hit to spotters for the television and radio broadcasts of big events. Commentators want to know what a player is hitting, and will get a signal from caddies, usually by holding fingers up or down, to indicate what club they are hitting into a green.
As former PGA Tour player turned commentator Paul McGinley explained, it's not uncommon for players and caddies to know what other players in their group are playing with, but usually they are a bit more subtle about it.
"It's staggering that they've denied it, because the video evidence is there," McGinley said on Golf Channel after the round. "Look, I know Ricky very well. He's a smashing guy. He's a great guy. This is common practice on Tour. Whether you like it or not, it's common practice. It happens in every professional tournament around the world. It's not obvious always, so blatant."
McGinley was clear that while it's a rule that is on the books, it's a rather common thing in professional golf.
"It looked very clear, the evidence is against them," McGinley said. "If that's the case, I think a lot of players in the field — if they're putting a hand on hearts — there'd be a lot of penalties out there today, with what went down in other groups as well. We just happened to see it on camera."
"I'm a stickler for the rules, we're all sticklers for the rules. But it's just not seen as a serious breach," McGinley said.
Ultimately, Koepka escaped the two-stroke penalty, and held a share of the overnight lead at 7-under.
On Friday, Koepka extended his lead with another brilliant round, posting 5-under to take the solo lead at 12-under heading into Saturday.
