By all accounts Doonbeg is a scenic course. You get a vista of the Atlantic Ocean on the closing stretch. There are multiple short par-3s and par-4s that take you for a ride. Then there are creeks and streams that meander through the course. It’s a pleasurable experience. Well, not if you were Haotong Li on Saturday at the Irish Open.
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Playing in the same group as tournament leader, Shane Lowry, Li struggled on the front nine, picking up a lone eagle compared to Lowry’s three birdies. At the turn, the Chinese pro had a chance to mount some pressure on the home favorite. But Li lost himself in the creek. On the par-5 10th hole, Li’s second shot landed in a shallow creek, triggering an unusual penalty.
The ball was playable even though it crossed the red-marked penalty area because the water level was very low. Cameras caught him standing in the middle of the creek contemplating his next move. He asked for a rule official. Coming out of the water and standing on the rough, he assessed his options. Unfortunately, the ball moved from its original place when Li stepped into the water as it created ripples.
The official determined that to be a violation of rule 9.4b, which penalizes pros for moving the ball or causing it to move deliberately. Li’s case was accidental, and according to the Mirror, he was not happy with the one-stroke penalty.
DP World Tour footage, which you can check out here, however, showed him trying to reconstruct the original lie. At first, the group could not identify the exact position, but after some deliberation, Li and Lowry agreed on an estimated position. But then came the real trouble.
The official gave the Chinese pro the option to take a penalty drop and play from a dry area. But Li, already penalized for moving the ball in the most peculiar of circumstances, decided to play from the water. The challenge, though, was if the ball moved, he would be docked another stroke.
Li probably didn’t think of it before placing the ball, but the realization hit him quickly. To his credit, he found some comic relief in the situation, joking about what happens if the ball moves while he tries to hit the shot. The rules official told him to be careful and careful he was.
Despite the awkward stance and a horrible lie, Haotong Lin managed to reach the green and had a par-save chance. But he missed the 13-footer and tapped in for a bogey. Saturday was an eventful day for Li, during which he repeatedly lost his cool.
Right after his approach shot on the 10th, he was angry and yelled a loud “F**k it” after handing his club to his caddie. The hot mic picked further expletives as the commentator apologized again and again.
On the par-4 second, Li ignored a hovering chopper overhead and hit his second shot. The commentator joked, “Aimed at the helicopter.” But the 10th hole penalty derailed his momentum, as the round went downhill from there.
Li carded three more bogeys on the backnine. On the 12th, he missed a six-foot par. On the 16th, he left an eight-footer for par a bit short and tapped in for a bogey. On the 17th, his approach from the rough missed the green.
It will be challenging for Li to cover a gap of 10 strokes between him and the leader, Shane Lowry. The Irish professional has carded rounds of 67-62-65 so far to take a massive lead despite a weather-affected opening round. Jacob Skov Olesen was co-leading with Lowry midway through Round 3, but is now four strokes behind him.