European Tour officials have announced that there will be no bunkers in play during this week's tournament in Bahrain.
Officials take decision to make course 'bunker-free'
European Tour officials have taken the decision to deem that there will be no bunkers in play during this week's Volvo Golf Champions event in Bahrain.
There are vast areas of sandy waste on the Royal Golf Club which is playing host to the tournament but, in a bid to prevent any confusion from players, spectators and television viewers, such areas will not be classified as bunkers.
It means players will be allowed to take practice swings, move loose impediments and ground the club "lightly behind the ball" in all sand areas.
Chief referee Andy McFee, the man who was forced to inform Padraig Harrington he had been disqualified in Abu Dhabi last week after he accidentally nudged his ball forward while picking up his marker, said: "We have taken this decision to provide clarity for the players.
"The golf course is absolutely fine, but the blurring of the boundaries between desert and bunker, whilst visually attractive, potentially provides a major problem of definition.
"As this is common throughout the course and not restricted to the odd situation here and there, we felt this was the best way to exercise our duty to define the course properly.
"It will lead to some odd-looking situations, but that is infinitely preferable to players incurring penalties.
"As we know, television viewers are quick to call or write in when they see something wrong, but on this occasion we are alerting them, in advance, that this course is different."
Bounce back
Harrington himself is aiming to bounce straight back from his false start to the new season having seen his excellent opening 65 go to waste last week.
"If you turn up at a tournament you never want to be talking about other things and be distracted," the Dubliner explained. "So this week has been very much about getting into this tournament and last week was last week.
"It really is a blank canvas this week, but I'll be a bit more anxious because you always want to get a good start to the year.
"People see 65 and maybe they are thinking I've solved all the problems in my game and I'm going to shoot 65 every day, but that's not the reality."
