The hearts of golf fans briefly stopped when Lucas Herbert’s caddie was using a rangefinder at The Open Championship.
On hole 14, the long par-5 here at Royal Birkdale, Herbert’s caddie, Nick Pugh, appeared to use a rangefinder on the tee box.
His actions raised eyebrows during the second round at first because a Local Rule at The Open bans the use of distance-measuring devices.
That includes rangefinders and watches, and Model Local Rule G-5 prevents a player from obtaining “distance information by using an electronic distance-measuring device”.
A player is responsible for their caddie’s actions during a round.
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The penalty for breaching the Local Rule at The Open is very severe. Rule 4.3a brings a two-shot penalty for the first breach and disqualification if it happens again.
However, an update was given on the television broadcast that said the batteries in the device will have been removed, seemingly by R&A officials.
Pugh told reporters at Birkdale that they use rangefinders in the LIV Golf League and at the US Open last month, and another caddie said their use was fine without batteries.
Pugh asked the R&A and checked again when the round started.
“He plays an unbelievable role, whether we’re getting that round going or any round going,” Herbert said about his caddie. “He’s one of the hardest workers you’ll see. He’s the guy that’s out here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. If he’s not caddying for me or carrying my bag somewhere, he’s walking the course and figuring everything out.
“I’ve never stood over a shot and asked him what’s left down here or what’s right over there or anything, and he hasn’t got an answer for me, he’s so well prepared.”
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Removing batteries disallows any distance-measuring function, so the device essentially becomes a binocular. Herbert shot a remarkable round here at Birkdale on Friday, carding nine birdies on his way to a stunning eight-under-par 62.
Herbert was faced with a short putt on the 18th hole for par, to shoot 61 and to break the men’s major scoring record. But the ball clipped the edge of the hole and lipped out.
Nonetheless, Herbert stormed into the lead at The Open, a tournament he has only played in five times before. His total of 28 shots on the front nine also equalled a record set by Denis Durnian at Birkdale in 1983 for the lowest first nine in British Open history.
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