VIRGINIA WATER, England -- The shallowed bunkers of the West Course at Wentworth were supposed to be nothing more than a bit part of the BMW PGA Championship narrative.
Then Branden Grace put his foot in it.
Well, two of them, actually.
After posting a second-round 1-under-par 71, to set alongside his opening lap of 68, Grace found himself still discussing an episode that occurred midway through Thursday's play.
The South African, who was 6 under par through 12 holes and tied for the lead, had plunged his approach at the par-4 13th hole into a greenside bunker. Discovering the ball plugged in the front slope of the trap, he wriggled his feet for a position then stepped back and called for USGA rules official Mark Hill.
Grace explained that his left foot was now touching the rubber lining of the bunker, preventing a sure-footed stance. He knew the rule on this: the same thing happened to him a couple of years ago in the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China.
Hill duly authorized a free drop whereupon Paul McGinley, commentating on television, gasped: "It was ridiculous. If you twist your feet enough you're bound to eventually reach the bunker lining."
Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, later tweeted: "@EuropeanTour please explain that drop?! Burying feet enough in to get to the base of the bunker???"
Little did Grace know that as his ruling was taking place, compatriot Ernie Els was explaining a decision to call a 2-shot penalty on himself for incorrectly replacing his own plugged ball in a bunker on 12.
"I didn't feel good about it," Els said. "The game of golf is what it is. I know deep down the ball wasn't quite where it should be, and you know, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
A pure coincidence that the incidents should take place on the same day, and they were very far from being the same problem, but the contrast was drawn -- and it threw a harsh light on Grace.
He revealed Friday that he had been a little uncomfortable before teeing off.
"Obviously waking up, I'm one of the guys that always likes to go on social media," he said. "There's always somebody that writes something negative, but it caught me off my guard a little bit this morning."
He added that McGinley had been in contact to partly defuse the situation. "I received a message from Paul this morning saying he's got nothing against me at all. He just doesn't agree with the ruling. That was a little bit nicer to hear from him."
There was, however, a steely resolve from the 29-year-old; he felt absolutely no need to be repentant.
"The guy was there for a reason, the rules official, and it's his call at the end of the day. Sometimes the rules work in your favour and sometimes they don't. I did not write the rulebook."
What's more, he added, it's not entirely out of the question that the situation will reappear.
"Peter Hanson said he had a situation like that yesterday, but he didn't even think of asking for the ruling. So I'm not sure [if I'm] going to be the last one this week."