U.S. Women’s Open caddie banned for trying to snoop on course setup info

World No. 10 and two-time 2015 LPGA Tour winner Sei Young Kim is playing this week’s U.S. Women’s Open without her regular caddie, Paul Fusco, after he was banned from Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania by the USGA.

The presenting body behind the tournament stripped Fusco of his credentials when he was caught trying to take pictures of private setup notes and hole locations ahead of the biggest event in women’s golf. Fusco, who has worked for the likes of Vijay Singh in the past, was discovered by a USGA official in the act, leading to his ejection.

“Quite simply, as you all know, golf is a game of honor and integrity,” USGA official Diana Murphy said Wednesday. “Unfortunately we found a caddie who was attempting to get some information that would benefit his player and not the whole field. And there was just no question in our mind that we needed to prevent that from happening to protect the total field this week. So it was a terribly poor judgment on his part.”

After a discussion among officials, a USGA representative went to Fusco, who has worked with Kim since LPGA Q-school last year, on the range and removed him from the premises in plain view of other players and caddies, as well as fans. The USGA came under fire after rumors circulated that they had not advised Kim of what had happened and the relating disciplinary action. However, Murphy disputed that version of events.

“We certainly took the time to explain it to the player and to make sure she understood why this was a violation of our policy, why the caddie wasn’t allowed in the rules trailer to begin with, certainly not allowed to take pictures of the information that he was taking pictures of, for he and his player’s benefit,” Murphy said.

The impact on Kim, who also finished runner-up to Inbee Park in the last LPGA major, the Women’s PGA Championship, is unclear, as is if Fusco will face further sanctions from the LPGA when the event ends.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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