Tommy Fleetwood’s 'Awful' Bunker Break Sparks Debate at The Open Championship
Imagine preparing for one of the biggest tournaments of the year, dialed in, expectations high, and then… an awkward rake job derails your momentum. That’s exactly what happened to Tommy Fleetwood during the opening round of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, and let me tell you—it wasn’t pretty.
Fleetwood, always a crowd favorite and serious contender, started his round solidly with three pars. But things took a frustrating turn on the par-4 5th hole. He found himself in a pot bunker just short of the green, only to discover the sand had not been properly raked—thanks to a rare but costly caddie oversight. Now, under normal circumstances at The Open, there would have been a trained bunker raker handling this job, someone from the BIGGA team, a tradition that dated back to 1984. But not this year. In a surprise policy change, the R&A decided to ditch the volunteer rakers and return the responsibility to the caddies.
Fleetwood was clearly caught off guard by the new policy. His reaction said it all: frustration, disbelief, and some language that didn’t exactly make it past the broadcast censors. “For f—'s sake, man,” he muttered, followed by a loud “F—!”—and honestly, who could blame him? His ball had landed in a trampled area, likely left behind by a previous group. The rough lie gave him little choice but to play a conservative shot, which barely made it out of the bunker. A chip, a two-putt, and a bogey later, the damage was done.
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While the broadcast showed a lie that may not have looked horrific, it’s important to remember that stance and footing matter just as much in these small, steep bunkers. Paul McGinley, commentating on the scene, called it one of the worst breaks of the year and noted that on the DP World Tour, a caddie would face a serious fine for something like this.
Interestingly, the trail of breadcrumbs leads to English amateur Sebastian Cave, who had reportedly been in that same bunker two hours earlier. It’s unlikely that it was done intentionally, of course, but the ripple effect of one simple mistake—combined with a new rule—created a storm for Fleetwood.
After the round, Fleetwood was candid but composed. “It wasn’t a great rake job,” he said. “But first, I was annoyed to be in there in the first place—that’s on me. Still, it was like someone’s hitting mark that hadn’t been raked great. I tried to manage it, tried to duff it out, but it was a tough spot.” He added that while he wasn’t angry at anyone in particular, it did make him wish the traditional rakers were still around.
Fleetwood ended the day with a two-over-par 73, a disappointing start made worse by something entirely out of his control. This situation not only underscores how fine the margins are at the highest level of golf but also questions whether the R&A’s decision to eliminate bunker rakers truly benefits the game.
As Fleetwood said, “You just rake the bunkers, right? It’s part of the game.” But on this particular Thursday at Royal Portrush, that simple task—or lack of it—became the defining moment of his round.
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