U.S. Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick is competing in his first Masters Tournament without his caddie, Lorne Duncan, and it’s all because of a pair of sandals.
Augusta National has a rule that all caddies must wear sneakers, but Duncan has a foot condition that makes wearing anything other than certain sandals extremely painful. Duncan tried to get his sandals approved, but the committee wouldn’t budge.
“I went to speak to the powers that be at Augusta National about alternative footwear that would allow me to get through the week but my inquiries were met with a resounding ‘No,’” Duncan wrote in a blog post, as reported by Larry Brown Sports. “My feet were so sore after one practice round in runners that I had no alternative but to withdraw my services.”
Duncan took to Twitter to express his frustration and mentioned that he had offered up a compromise to wear Crocs instead of sandals. He was told that only sneakers would be acceptable.
“Duncan was told he had to wear tennis shoes like all caddies,” Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters competition committee, told BBC Sports. “We are not treating him any different. I am sure whatever reasons he raised were considered.”
Such strict enforcement of rules at Augusta is not surprising, however. The club has been somewhat known for its exclusion, having not allowed female membership until 2012.
Photo via Twitter/@The_Open
