Gregorio de Leo suffered a costly one-stroke penalty for slow play during the final round of the Turkish Airlines Open, ultimately missing out on a prize of nearly £350,000. The Italian golfer was penalised on the 168-yard par-3 11th hole after taking more than 50 seconds to play his tee shot while under monitoring by DP World Tour officials.
Penalty Details and Impact
The 26-year-old was one shot off the lead when the penalty was applied, effectively turning a par save into a bogey. He then dropped further shots on the 15th and 17th holes, finishing tied for seventh place with Ricardo Gouveia, four shots behind winner Mikael Lindberg. Lindberg, a first-time winner on the European Tour, earned approximately £350,000 for his victory.
An unnamed Tour official explained the decision to Golf Monthly: "De Leo was given a one-shot penalty because the player exceeded his allowed time for the stroke (50 seconds) by more than an additional 30 seconds, whilst being monitored. In such situations, the DP World Tour Pace of Play Policy stipulates a one-stroke penalty to be applied. It was his tee shot on the 11th hole."
Pace of Play Regulations
The regulations, introduced for the 2020 season, state that an immediate one-stroke penalty is applied on the second 'bad time' in a tournament. Players who exceed time limits while being monitored incur a 'bad time', which counts towards the penalty. Time allowances are 50 seconds for the first player to play and 40 seconds for the second or third. An extra 10 per cent allowance is maintained by referees to account for human differences in starting timing. A player receives a 'bad time' if they exceed this allowance a third time.
Winner's Reaction and Qualification
Mikael Lindberg, who shot an even-par final round, secured his maiden European Tour victory and a place in the PGA Championship at Aronimink, his first major appearance. The Swede said: "This is a dream come true. I've been dreaming about this for so many years. My feelings on this last hole, I almost felt dizzy, and I almost felt I wanted to throw up."
Lindberg qualified as one of the top three finishers on the Asian Swing after topping the standings. He added: "To be honest, I barely knew it was even possible because I saw the guys who were leading the Asian swing were quite far ahead. I don't know what to say, really, it's going to be amazing."
