Interestingly, the broadcasters are talking about the lie he can expect to have, too — a combination of wind, water and bunker raking has left the sand’s composition somewhat uncertain. Then Bones Mackay, who has been working as an on-course reporter, jumps in with an update:
“Guys, Oliva Pinto’s caddie climbed down into the bunker, knelt down and felt the surface of the sand with his hand, trying to determine the kind of depth there,” he says.
The camera pans to Brewer, in animated conversation with a rules official as Oliva Pinot stands by uncertainly.
Initially, the replays are inconclusive. Brewer adamantly pleads his innocence, the rules official calls for backup and Oliva Pinto stands by, swinging his wedge.
When confronted with the potential rules violation — testing the surface of the bunker — Brewer shakes his head. “I didn’t,” he says, several times. Eventually Strafaci Jr. chimes in.
“Yes you did, you touched the sand. You reached down and brushed the sand!”
A classic case of he-said, he said! One caddie’s word against the other! No clear resolution in sight! Right?!
Not so fast, my friends. Enter the technological innovation behind “NB-Cee-It,” the replay technology that cuts to an overhead shot of Brewer clearly brushing the sand with his hand as he stood in the bunker. The footage is rarely ever this clear in any instant replay (here’s looking at you, NFL catch rules).
The official points out that while he didn’t see the action itself, he can see the hand print, and wants an explanation for what he was doing with his hand.
At that point, we hear from Strafaci himself, who says he was wondering what Brewer was doing, but confirms that he didn’t personally see him touch the ground. Another rules official approaches and Brewer reiterates his innocence.
“Sorry dude. He saw it, everybody else saw it,” Strafaci Jr. says. “And you guys talked about it afterwards, which is the worst part.”
At this point, it’s an extremely unusual scene — and tense, too. Mackay is in the thick of things, as are two rules officials, the two players and the two caddies, plus a camera crew.
We can only guess that while he’s in the scrum, the official receives confirmation from the booth that the footage is, in fact, clear and conclusive. He reestablishes some control over the situation to inform Oliva Pinto of the bad news: that he’s responsible for his caddie’s actions, and that in this case it’s a loss of hole penalty. Strafaci looks on.
“What a way to lose a match,” Oliva Pinto says, removing his hat, understandably bummed.
“Wait, what happened?” Strafaci asks. He hadn’t understood the loss-of-hole bit, and was anticipating a stroke penalty. Instead, he hears what would normally be pure good news: “You have won, 1-up.”
He dips his head. No competitor wants to win this way. That’s a lot to process in real time.
Strafaci and Oliva Pinto come together.
“I know that’s not the way you wanted it to be,” Oliva Pinto says.
“I’m sorry about that, bro,” Strafaci says. It’s a sad scene, but reflects well on each player’s character. As they part ways, it’s clear they’re both still in some shock.
“What just happened? Strafaci asks his father. “I’m so confused.”
The ruling
Here’s how my colleague Sean Zak astutely described it in his story on the incident from Friday morning:
“Rule 12.1/a states that before making a stroke at a ball in a bunker, a player must not deliberately touch sand in the bunker with a hand, club, rake or other object to test the condition of the sand to learn information for the next stroke. The player’s caddie must abide by the same set of rules.
“In match play, the penalty for such an infraction is loss of hole, and in a tied match on 18 a loss of the match as well.”
Well put! You can read more about 12.1/a (When Ball Is In Bunker) here.
The aftermath
Mackay caught up with each of the players immediately after the round. First he asked Strafaci what it was like to win the match that way.
“I was reading my putt over there and I saw the caddie go down and put his hand down,” he said. “I didn’t see it touch the sand or whatnot, but my dad saw it and I guess a couple other people saw it. But I just feel so bad for him. I mean, that was one of the best matches I’ve ever played, just back and forth and he’s a great kid and he played great, we both played great. And for that to happen, I feel really bad for him.
“I’m gonna make it worth something. I’m gonna go out tomorrow and win my match and try to keep moving.”
Then Mackay spoke with Oliva Pinto, who kept his composure despite the difficult loss.
“Regarding what happened, I wasn’t looking at it, I was near the flag, I was trying to get a good read of where I wanted the ball to bounce and everything,” he said. “As soon as I got back there the referee comes up and asks my caddie what happened and I’m completely shocked because I’m just trying to get my shot near and up and down and win the match. And apparently he touched the sand or something and it’s a penalty — it’s a hole — and the match ended there.”
Mackay asked if he’d heard anything from his caddie afterwards, but Oliva Pinto said there wasn’t much to say, anyway.
“He didn’t say anything, but at this point it doesn’t really matter. What happened happened. He can say anything but it won’t change what happened.”
The conclusion
By definition, only one player can emerge a winner from an elimination match. But Oliva Pinto scored some major points with an Instagram post he put up in the wake of his loss.
“He is a good guy and a great friend,” he wrote above a picture of he and Brewer. “This can happen to anyone my man!” He added the hashtag #noonesfault.
Of all the emotions Oliva Pinto could have turned to following the defeat — anger, frustration, bitterness — he chose empathy. That seems like a good place to leave this story.
Strafaci was set to face his next opponent, Stewart Hagestad, in the quarterfinals on Friday.
