John Paramor, and one of golf’s leading referee’s, has expressed concern at assertions of cheating following an incident involving Sergio Garcia in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Garcia was cleared of any wrong-doing after a video clip appeared on a US golf magazine website following the Spaniard’s opening round of 76 in the UAE capital.
The current World No. 10, who is returning to competition after capturing last month’s Asian Tour Thailand Golf Championship, was met by Paramor upon arrival ahead of Garcia’s second round at the National course.
European Tour Chief Referee, John Paramor at last year’s US Open. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
The very selective 11 second video clip appearing on www.golfdigest.com and reported by golf writing pretender Geoff Shakleford shows Garcia reaching forward to tap the green ahead of putting out on the 18th green or the ninth hole of his first round.
Paramor accompanied Garcia to the spot on the green where the victorious Ryder Cup star confidently pointed to the pitch mark he had tapped down, and as allowed under the Rules of Golf.
The European Tour Chief Referee immediately cleared Garcia of any wrong-doing.
Paramor remarked: “Players do that all the time, tap down pitch marks and there is nothing wrong with that.
“What I am more concerned about is there are those ready to use the ‘C’ word when the very short video clip does not show what went on prior to Sergio tapping down what was clearly a pitch mark.”
Paramor indicated he will be approaching www.golfdigest.com over those assertions.
Garcia has expressed his disgust at those also who have labelled him as a cheat before learning the full circumstances of the incident.
“The people who say that without having any proof, that’s what’s wrong,” said Garcia.
“If you can really tell, and you can’t really see that it’s wrong, that someone has cheated, it’s fine, but if you have no proof at all and you’re just guessing what happened then that is wrong.
“It just feels quite bad to be related to that word, though, to the word cheating, when you have no proof and when I’ve never, ever cheated in my whole life.
“And I’ve called plenty of penalty strokes on myself when nobody saw it.
“So being related to that word is the most disgusting thing that can happen to someone, and someone like me that has never, ever cheated.”
