Matt Fitzpatrick caught up in costly rules situation at BMW PGA Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick involved in a tough rules incident during the second round of the BMW PGA at Wentworth.
Matt Fitzpatrick was involved in a costly rules situation on the par-5 4th during the second round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Fitzpatrick, 31, drilled his tee shot down the right half of the fairway on the easiest hole at Wentworth and all looked happy in his world.
Players are able to move their ball six inches when in the fairway as a result of the heavy deluge of rain in Surrey this week.
Fitzpatrick was therefore able to move his ball and give himself a better lie.
But things sadly took a turn for the worse from there.
As the camera panned to Fitzpatrick, he called in a rules official after deeming his ball had moved while addressing it.
After a brief chat with the official, Fitzpatrick, to his credit, called the one-stroke penalty on himself.
"Matt placed his club behind the ball, which then moved," a DP World Tour spokesperson confirmed to GolfMagic.
"He called the penalty on himself."
The situation appeared to affect Fitzpatrick who then flung his second shot to the right of the green in the rough.
To his credit he chipped up to a couple of feet to make his par.
The exact same thing happened to Jon Rahm while addressing his ball in the 13th fairway during the first round.
Thankfully for Fitzpatrick, he instantly got the shot back when stiffing a mid-iron to within a foot for a kick-in birdie on the par-3 5th.
But he's since fallen back into the pack after enduring some tough afternoon conditions.
The first birdie of the day for Matt Fitzpatrick thanks to this tee shot 😮💨#BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/yF1LTIqx7O
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 12, 2025
It's been a manic week of golf ball drama for Fitzpatrick over the first 36 holes at the BMW PGA.
Fitzpatrick claimed after the first round that his ball was stolen by two 'little thieves' on the 18th.
He did say though that the incident likely saved him a shot.
The Englishman is looking to win his home BMW PGA for the first time in his career.
Fitzpatrick received one of Luke Donald's six captain's picks on the 2025 European Ryder Cup team.
The Ryder Cup takes place at Bethpage in New York in two weeks.
Andy Roberts first joined GolfMagic on a month's work experience back in April 2011.
Andy then assumed the role of GolfMagic Editor in 2015.
