Abdelatif El Bachari was the first referee from Morocco to referee at The Open at Royal Liverpool this year. Abdelatif describes his refereeing experience in his summary below:
“It was a pleasure and a great honour for me to be invited by The Open Championship Committee to serve on the Rules Committee for The 151st Open. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the four major championships.
The team of referees for The Open consisted of 50 referees from around the world and this was my first time to join them at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
After a briefing meeting the day before the Championship, we walked the course in groups to review all the possible scenarios that could take place. My feelings were divided between the happiness of being there and the worry of not being up to it, especially after discovering the challenging course and all the infrastructure that is required to host a championship of such a size and scale.
There are many grandstands, marquees, spectator villages with services and tempting food smells. Although you might think a ball will never get there, never say never and you can never be too prepared! We reviewed the location of the television towers, the grandstands and signage that is located on the course, all of which are classed as temporary immovable obstructions. That meant revising and being very familiar with Model Local Rule F-23, which provides relief from interference from such structures.
In some cases, as the structures are placed together so closely, they are tied together as one by Local Rule so understanding the status of each was really important. If I had to give a ruling, I wanted to know exactly what I had to do.
My instructive exchanges with the other referees, several of whom officiate on the major world Tours and who have often officiated at The Open, allowed me to understand and grow my confidence. Sharing experiences really helped to dissipate any confusion and consequently allay my first time concerns.
Of course, at the start of my first refereeing duty, I was slightly nervous knowing that over 40,000 spectators and the world’s media were watching! However, the round went very well and my first ruling, an unplayable ball (Rule 19) situation, happened at the 7th hole. By this time I had adapted to this exceptional environment and atmosphere and was ready to take on the task of giving a ruling to the player, who I am sure would also be nervous playing in The 151st Open.
I was impressed by the facilities, the hundreds of volunteers, the thousands of daily spectators, all disciplined and strongly passionate about golf. They had to be strong at times to withstand the heavy rain and wind without umbrellas or rain gear. But they were there, cheering and supporting.
It was a pleasure to be part of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool, a pleasure to see beautiful golf and a pleasure to be part of an elite group of referees from all over the world.”
