Australian Open officials will wait until the end of Saturday's third round to assess whether they should penalise Jake McLeod after he watched his ball sit on the edge of the hole for almost 35 seconds before it dropped in.
NSW Open winner McLeod celebrated after his birdie putt on the par-4 fourth hole oscillated on the tip of the hole for seemingly an eternity before eventually falling in.
Drama: Jake McLeod.Credit:AAP
But under the rules of golf after players ordinarily have 10 seconds to make a tap-in putt once they've reached the ball.
McLeod stood alongside his ball, crouched down and almost willed it in – clearly taking longer than the allowed time – before the ball spectacularly dropped into the hole.
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He was originally credited with a birdie, but an on-course rules official later told McLeod of the one-stroke penalty on the next hole. Tournament director Trevor Herden will discuss the issue with McLeod after the round and determine whether the penalty stands.
The 24-year-old broke through for his first professional win last week at the NSW Open and fleetingly led the Australian Open after the controversial incident.
It comes less than 24 hours after another Australian Open rules drama when Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts was originally docked two shots for grounding his club in a bunker trying to avoid a moving ball which failed to clear a trap on his first attempt.
Officials even contacted world golf's ruling authority The R&A during the middle of the European night for guidance on the decision, which was later reversed as Colsaerts was playing his penultimate hole.
Adam Pengilly is a Sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
