Golfer Dyson gets suspended 2-month ban

England's Simon Dyson has been given a suspended two-month ban from the European Tour following his disqualification from the BMW Masters in October. Dyson was joint second after 36 holes of the event when he was disqualified for signing for an incorrect score in the second round. The 35-year-old failed to add a two-shot penalty to his card after an incident on the eighth hole, when he touched the line of his putt after marking his ball, appearing to flatten a spike mark. Having reviewed the incident, European Tour officials charged Dyson with a "serious breach" of the Tour's code of behaviour, a charge which was upheld when Dyson appeared before a three-person disciplinary panel at Wentworth on Thursday. Dyson was given a suspended ban, with any breach of the Rules of Golf in the 18-month period seeing his case referred back to the panel to determine whether the suspension should immediately become effective. He was also fined £30,000 ($48,978, 35,852 euros) and ordered to pay £7,500 towards the Tour's costs, with the money to be paid within 56 days. In a statement, the European Tour announced: "The panel decided .... to impose upon Mr Dyson a period of suspension from the Tour of two months, but to suspend its operation for a period of 18 months. "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." The panel found that Dyson deliberately pressed down the spike mark despite knowing it was against the rules. According to the panel, the "extreme seriousness" of such an offence "in the appropriate case" would warrant an immediate suspension, but Dyson's previous good conduct and the fact that it was a "momentary aberration on his part, not a premeditated act of cheating", was taken into consideration. Source: AFP