Brooks Koepka and Northern Irish caddie Ricky Elliott ‘are caught up in a RULES ROW at the Masters’ – as the LIV rebel’s attendant is accused of ‘giving advice’ to a competitor on the 15th hole
- Brooks Koepka’s caddie Ricky Elliott was spotted giving advice at the Masters
- No player or caddie can give or seek advice from a competitor as per the rules
- Koepka held the joint-lead with Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm after round one
Brooks Koepka was involved in a moment of controversy during the opening round of the 2023 Masters at Augusta as his Northern Irish caddy Ricky Elliott was spotted giving advice to a fellow competitor.
Footage that emerged online shows that Elliott said ‘five’ to Gary Woodland’s caddie on the five-par 15th hole, supposedly referencing which club Koepka had used on his previous shot.
According to law 10.2a in the rulebook no player or caddie can give or seek advice from a competitor.
Despite accusations of an apparent breach of the rules, Koepka and Elliott were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Koepka went into the clubhouse tied in the lead with Viktor Hovland of Denmark and Jon Rahm of Spain on seven under par after the first round of play at Augusta.
Brooks Koepka (centre) and his caddie Ricky Elliott (far left) were accused of a rule breach
Koepka shot a 65 in the first round of the Masters which could have been turned into a 67
Some spectators were left astounded that Koepka was not hit with any form of punishment
Koepka later claimed during his post-round media duties that Woodland had asked him what club he had used at the beginning of the 15th hole.
He said: ‘Yeah, we looked at it when we got back in. [Gary Woodland and his caddie] had no idea what we were hitting. I know that fact because GW asked me what we hit walking off [the 15th tee], when we were walking down. So that’s all I can give you.’
The former Europe Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said it was ‘staggering’ that the referees at Augusta didn’t decide to hit Koepka with any form of punishment.
If Kopeka were to be punished for the incident, he would have incurred a two-shot penalty and the 65 he shot in the first round would have turned into a 67.
The competition’s organiser later released a statement regarding the controversy which read: ‘All involved were adamant that no advice was given or requested. Consequently, the committee determined there was no breach of the rules.’
McGinley was working as a pundit for the Golf Channel on the day and claimed that evidence of the alleged breach of rules was clear for all to see.
‘Well it’s very obvious,’ he said. ‘Anybody looking at those pictures, it’s very obvious. It’s staggering that they’ve denied it, because the evidence is there.
‘I know Ricky very well. He’s a smashing guy. He’s a great guy. This is common practice on Tour. Whether you like it or not, it’s common practice. It happens in every professional tournament around the world. It’s not obvious always.
‘[For] players and caddies, who always adhere to the rules and treat the rules as very, very important, this is not considered a serious breach.’
