Fan spikes Lee Janzen’s bid

THE official who disqualified two-times US Open champion Lee Janzen from this year’s qualifying event for wearing metal spikes has revealed the offence was first reported by a spectator.

The 48-year-old was playing in the sectional qualifying tournament at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, and had shot 75 in his first of two rounds when the news was broken. He wrote on his official Twitter page: “DQ for metal spikes at qualifier at Woodmont. Rule was in e-mail.”

Michael Cumberpatch, of the Middle Atlantic Golf Association, told the Golf Channel: “A spectator came up to the scoring table and said: ‘I’m pretty sure one of the players was wearing steel spikes in the morning round.’ Our eyebrows raised and we said: ‘Who was it?’ He said: ‘Lee Janzen’.”

Cumberpatch added: “I’ve never had to disqualify somebody from sectional and to have it be a two-time US Open champion is kind of ironic.

“Is it harsh? I don’t think so. These clubs are giving up their facilities and they don’t build their facilities to have people walking around in steel spikes so part of being able to get these fine courses for the qualifiers is to say ‘hey, no steel spikes’.”