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Rahm, Westwood comment on Day 1 rules incident at Royal Birkdale

REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

Jon Rahm was at the center of another rules controversy Thursday at The Open, and once again he slipped past a possible two-stroke penalty.

Rahm moved what he believed to be a loose impediment from his ball at the par-4 17th, only to realize the vine wasn't dead vegetation, which playing partner Lee Westwood also noticed.

The Spaniard was not given a penalty, citing the action didn't improve his lie or line to the target. He later commented on the ruling after a second-round 74.

"They made the decision. I was very comfortable with what happened, honestly. It gets to a point where it is not up to me," Rahm told the Golf Channel. "So, again it was something unintended, something that was an automatic reflex, and I knew I wasn't improving my lie."

Rahm created a debate on social media at the Irish Open two weeks back, when he didn't incurred a two-shot penalty for a curious ball placement. The rookie said the two incidents coming in back-to-back events is more or a coincidence than a reflection on his reputation.

"If I thought I deserved a penalty stroke, I would've said it. I'm an honest player."

Westwood, who posted 74 on Friday and sits just inside the cut line at 5-over, spoke about the circumstances, and chose his words carefully when speaking to the media after the second round.

"So I saw it, and I saw him lift it up and I saw him move it around to about 3 o’clock, and that’s all I saw,” Westwood told the Golf Channel. "I’m not going to comment on anything else."

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