Irish Open: Scorecard nightmare means more Irish agony for hapless Rock
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ROBERT ROCK'S heart has been broken once again at the '3' Irish Open. But this time the unfortunate Englishman won't walk away with a €500,000 consolation prize.
Rock endured the professional golfer's worst nightmare yesterday when he was disqualified after shooting a superlative first-round 65 on the Killeen Course.
After losing to Shane Lowry on the third hole of sudden death at last year's Irish Open in Baltray, Rock was delighted to set the early pace on a glorious day in Killarney.
He was leaving his post-round media conference when informed of the problem with his card.
Rock went white in the face as he raced back to the scorer's area, where it was explained that he'd failed to notice an error by his marker, fellow Englishman David Lynn, in which his scores at the 14th and 15th holes had been transposed.
disqualified
Rock did not spot that his card had him down for a par on 14 and birdie at the next so he was disqualified for signing for a wrong hole score at 15. "It's my fault," he said. "I checked it, but didn't see it and it's my job to do that."
Rock and Lowry have become good friends on Tour since the Clara man, then an amateur playing for the first time in a European Tour event, pulled off the most sensational victory in Irish Open history.
Lowry said: "It's not something you'd wish on anyone and, obviously, it's very tough for Robert after that type of score, which would have kept him in good shape for the weekend.
"Unfortunately, these things happen, as I know," added Lowry, disqualified from his first senior championship as an amateur, the 2006 West of Ireland, when two hole scores were transposed after he'd shot 66 to claim the lead in stroke-play qualifying. Lowry opened the defence of his Irish Open title with a disappointing 74, leaving him 10 strokes behind first-round leader David Howell.
- Karl MacGinty
Irish Independent
