• Golf

Dyson found guilty by European Tour disciplinary panel

Simon Dyson's two-month ban has been suspended for 18 months © Getty Images

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Simon Dyson has been handed a two-month ban - suspended for 18 months - and a £30,000 fine after a European Tour Disciplinary Panel found him guilty of a "Serious Breach of the European Tour's Code of Behaviour" while playing in the BMW Masters in October.

Dyson appeared in front of a three-man disciplinary panel at Wentworth on Thursday, where it was also decided he would have to pay an additional £7,500 towards the Tour's costs of the disciplinary proceedings.

The decision comes after what senior officials branded a "serious breach of the Tour's code of behaviour" at the Munich tournament, where Dyson was disqualified after failing to add a two-shot penalty to his scorecard.

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While on the eighth green during his second round at the event, the 35-year-old appeared to use his ball to fix a spike mark on the line of his putt - an act which is not allowed under the Rules of Golf.

A statement on the European Tour official website read: "Simon Dyson was charged by the European Tour with a Serious Breach of the European Tour's Code of Behaviour, the facts alleged being that he intentionally tapped down a spike mark on the line of his putt on the 8th green at Lake Malaren Golf Club during the second round of the BMW Masters on 25th October 2013, and that in doing so he deliberately interfered with the line of his putt, contrary to Rule 16-1a of the Rules of Golf.

"The Panel held that charge to have been made out by the Tour. In particular, it found that: (a) Mr Dyson's action in touching the line of his putt was a deliberate one; (b) that act was committed by him in the knowledge of the Rule forbidding such an act; and (c) his purpose in so acting was to improve his position on the green by pressing down a spike mark."

In terms of Dyson's suspended two-month ban, the panel stated: "The effect of this is that, if during that 18-month period, Mr Dyson commits any breach of the Rules of Golf, his case will be referred back to the Panel to determine whether in the circumstances the suspension should immediately become effective. If, however, at the end of that period, he has committed no such breach, then the threat of a suspension will fall away."

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