Laughter is the Best Ruling

Rules are fun now? Official has gallery and players in stitches during hilarious ruling at Omega European Masters

September 09, 2024

Would golf be better if rules were more fun? We’re not suggesting they be enforced less strictly or that players should have red challenge flags—this is golf, not a rock concert—but what if we, as a culture, treated each ruling less like a murder investigation? At least one rules official at the Omega European Masters seems to agree with us, delivering one the laughs of the weekend at Cras-sur-Sierre with this zinger in the middle of ruling for Andrew “Beef” Johnston. Check it out.

Johnston found himself needing relief from a scoreboard during Sunday’s final round, which was obstructing his backswing. Playing partner Matt Wallace came over to help, explaining the new relief rule to beef. Mid-explanation, the referee stopped Wallace dead in his tracks, saying “let me do it, I’m the referee.” Johnston, the gallery and even Wallace all broke into spontaneous laughter at the exchange.

“You’re a comedian too!” Johnston replied through peels of laughter.

A rules official doing stand-up? The world really has gone mad.

Once the laughs died down, Johnston got his relief and punched out to safety. Although he finished his round one back of playing partner and eventual winner Matt Wallace, we hope Beef walked away with a new appreciation for the (newly fun?) rules of golf.