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ISPS HANDA WALES OPEN


June 3, 2012


John Paramor


NEWPORT, WALES

Q.  Tell us what happened.  Started timing, on?
JOHN PARAMOR:  On the 11th hole.  I did speak to the group.  I think I spoke to them as they came off the 6th tee and I said, guys, you're a long way behind, you have to make an effort to catch guys in front and they are also being watched.
And unfortunately, they then dropped another ten or 15 minutes on their time, and that's when I decided, you know, I'm sorry, but I had to put them on.
And unfortunately, despite timing them, they went even further behind and indeed, finished 39 minutes over the scheduled finishing on 18, well over two holes behind the penultimate group.
With regard to Ross Fisher, Ross on his second shot to hole 11, he was third to play, and he took 57 seconds.  Obviously I was giving the players some leeway in terms of the conditions.  But certainly it was a clear bad time.

Q.  And the allotted time is 44?
JOHN PARAMOR:  The allotted time is 40.  It's just that with our error situation, we wouldn't give a player a bad time if he was anything up to 44 seconds.  But the limit is 40.
And then on hole 14, he hit a good second shot into the green and on his first putt, it was actually the second putt of the group.
Again, due to the conditions, it was raining at the time, I gave him a bit more leeway in terms of having a look at the putt.  And he unfortunately took 55 seconds.  Unfortunately, he was not maybe as aware of when the watch starts and how much time he has.
And I have on occasions tried to assist him with providing video evidence of him playing in the past.  I don't know whether he viewed it at all.  But if he would like some help, I would be delighted to try and help him, because I think he struggles, and I think given the same situation, he could find himself having more bad times, and it wouldn't take much to fix it.

Q.  Has he been fined in the past?
JOHN PARAMOR:  I don't think he has.

Q.  He was timed yesterday, as well?
JOHN PARAMOR:  He was timed yesterday and he had two shots in the ten percent.  You get two first to plays at 55 seconds, and one more, and he would have been assessed a bad time yesterday.

Q.  Is this a fine, as well as the shot penalty?
JOHN PARAMOR:  Yes, he has had one bad time already this year, so that was the second and third bad times.  So I think that mounts up quite a lot, and also a one‑stroke penalty.

Q.  What was his reaction?
JOHN PARAMOR:  I don't think he was particularly happy. 

Q.  You told him coming off the 14th green?
JOHN PARAMOR:  I told him before he teed off on the 15th hole.  Obviously I wasn't keen to try and stop it there and have a discussion.  If I was going to have a discussion, it was going to be at the 15th tee.  But I told him there that he had had a second bad time, and I said, do you understand.
And he said, yeah, sort of hook his head.  So, yes, he understood.

Q.  Do you have to stress that it's a one‑shot penalty?
JOHN PARAMOR:  On the one down to the bridge, I said, "You do understand what this means, don't you."  He said yeah.

Q.  So then you have to say, it's a one‑shot penalty?
JOHN PARAMOR:    I said, "You know it's a one‑stroke penalty."  And I said, I'm going to tell the scoreboard to change the scores by one.  Because obviously with someone at that part of the leaderboard, you must ensure that his score is accurate.

Q.  What is the significance and what is the difficulty in knowing that you start the watch, why does‑‑ how does a player know?
JOHN PARAMOR:  It's the way he goes about his pre‑shot routine.  It's not quick.  And if he lengthens it by even a whisker, he will be in the bad time area.  And clearly today was very important to him.  You know, he's contending for the event, and unfortunately he was extending his pre‑shot routine.
I would like to see a way that, you know, he comes along and said, would you help, and I will help him.

Q.  When did you send him the video?
JOHN PARAMOR:  Gave it to his caddie and said please pass it on.

Q.  Today?
JOHN PARAMOR:  No, last year or the year before‑‑ no, I'll tell you when it was.  After the last Open at Turnberry, 2009.  And I did some videos then when I was actually timing him.  I did‑‑ again, I was generous with him, bearing in mind the conditions, etc., etc.  I wanted him to see it.

Q.  Was he leading?
JOHN PARAMOR:  I think it was second round or something like that.
Gregory Bourdy was the last European at Whistling Straits, and Steve Lowery at Whistling Straits.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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