We’ve seen players use the grandstands surrounding greens before, but most of the time it appears to be done accidentally.
Scott Hend, however, definitely used the grand stands on purpose during the Maybank Championship on Saturday. Coming off a birdie on the par-3 17th, Hend’s second shot on the par-5 18th hole found the trees on the right side of the fairway. Without many options, Hend decided now was the time to pull a trick out of his bag and use a nice backstop.
[irp posts=”2729″ name=”Backstopping is real! Cheating in golf is now common place!”]
He hit a low punch shot that smacked the grandstand and bounded back onto the green, setting him up for an easy two-putt par.
He meant that! Off the backboard.
Amazing creativity from @hendygolf. pic.twitter.com/MNlxGl1BS5
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 23, 2019
If you’re wondering whether or not Hend MEANT to do that, he answered that question on Twitter after the round.
https://twitter.com/hendygolf/status/1109441881094520832
Apparently, players had been practicing using the stands as a back stop during the practice rounds.
At least with this it’s not players colluding and working together like we saw on the LPGA Tour a month ago.