Rule change comes too late for Pádraig

GOLF’S governing bodies have changed the ruling which cost Padraig Harrington disqualification after an opening 65 in Abu Dhabi in January.

Harrington had already signed his scorecard when a television viewer raised the issue of his ball moving as he marked it on a green — and because of that the punishment could not just be a two-stroke penalty.

Now the Royal and Ancient Club and the United States Golf Association have announced a new interpretation to apply “in limited circumstances not previously contemplated” where disqualifications have been caused by scorecard errors identified as the result of recent advances in video technologies.