Golf shoots itself in the foot once more!

[Oldstyle]

Lexi Thompson is assessed a four stroke penalty on the 12th hole of the last round of a major because some touch hole emailed the PGA and said she didn't replace her ball EXACTLY where it was marked in her round the previous day! So she was given a two stroke penalty for incorrectly replacing her ball but in a perfect example why people think golf is run by anal retentive idiots...she was also given a two stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard! She then loses in a sudden death playoff.

Wake up golf! You've become the Barney Fife's of organized sports! The way you officiate your sport is akin to writing tickets for rolling through a stop sign at four in the morning with nobody else on the road! Yes...it's against the law...but who the heck cares?

 

[tyroneweaver]

I bet the email came in from Korea.
Wow, a day, and 12 holes later.
Roger Goodell is now running the PGA

 

[leftwinger]

I have played a lot of Golf. I don't know all the rules (not even close). We try to follow as best as possible but you can't hold up the whole course to walk back to the tee or whatever. You have to keep moving along keeping up with the group ahead.

These PROs are on the same course for a week with Caddies, Nutrisionist, rules officials, swing coaches, Workout gurus, Yoga instructors, Psychiatrist etc. No excuses playing for $10s' of millions. Follow the rules or call somebody over. It slows the game........I know, some rules seem ridiculous. But if you give them an inch they take a mile.

They already play so slow it is almost hard to watch. No reason a threesome of PROs with Caddies should take close to 6 hours for 18 holes. Bad Golfers can walk a hard course, carry bags in 4 hours 15 min in hot weather at age 50. Less if they make you take a cart.

Vijay Singh was wearing metal spikes and blamed for scraping up the green (on purpose) ahead of the final groups. He was also caught with Steroid use. No problem for that. Tiger was suspected PED guy all along. Dustin Johnson got hosed twice in US OPEN? Once, Jason Day was so slow, it screwed up Dustin and his rhythm imo. Next one, he had a penalty maybe? but they did not even tell him? Of course he went out for Coke rehab too, LOL!

Stuff happens every week it seems. Watch when they mark the ball on the greens, almost slight of hand like a magician. FAST. Hard to tell if the coin is where is should have been placed? I know it seems like a small thing, but if they are going to enforce every silly milimeter? Why not there too? Or they quick back-hand in a putt in anger. almost double clutch.......was there intent? Makes me angry to see how much they get to play for. Jealous. Yes I am. I would love to play good courses in tournament play every weekend.

I comment on this LEXI issue and I don't even know what happened? I Can't watch this ladies tour much.....very slow. I watched more of the PGA in Texas today off/on.

 

[MarathonMike]

Yes the rules of golf are there to preserve the integrity of the game. But how are you protecting the integrity of the game because Lexi Thompson placed her ball a half inch to the side of where she originally marked it. ON A ONE FOOT PUTT!

Here is my solution:
Add a blanket statement to the rules of golf. "If an infraction has occurred on a previously played hole and the player has gained no advantage by the infraction and it is clear the player was not deliberately breaking a rule, then there is no penalty".

 

[leftwinger]

Yes the rules of golf are there to preserve the integrity of the game. But how are you protecting the integrity of the game because Lexi Thompson placed her ball a half inch to the side of where she originally marked it. ON A ONE FOOT PUTT!

Here is my solution:
Add a blanket statement to the rules of golf. "If an infraction has occurred on a previously played hole and the player has gained no advantage by the infraction and it is clear the player was not deliberately breaking a rule, then there is no penalty".

Not a bad idea? But then, "no intent" like Hillary. no intent to cheat or lie. Honest mistake. Let it go.

I know.....but where do you draw the line? what if it is a 20 ft. putt. But 2 feet ahead is a big spike mark. If you place your ball (cheat) 1 ball over to the right you can miss this indentation. Then if the putt goes in? Would you have missed it if it ran over the bump? Nobody sees it but somebody calls in later that day.

Will the Golf Gods get you anyways.........if you cheated on purpose and in your mind you know you cheated?

 

[Oldstyle]

Yes the rules of golf are there to preserve the integrity of the game. But how are you protecting the integrity of the game because Lexi Thompson placed her ball a half inch to the side of where she originally marked it. ON A ONE FOOT PUTT!

Here is my solution:
Add a blanket statement to the rules of golf. "If an infraction has occurred on a previously played hole and the player has gained no advantage by the infraction and it is clear the player was not deliberately breaking a rule, then there is no penalty".

You know what Mike? My biggest problem with this ruling isn't that they made it...it's how long it took for it to happen! Under a strict interpretation of the rule Thompson should have been hit with a two stroke penalty for improperly replacing her ball (although I'd like to know what the definition of exactly where it was before IS...is it a half inch...is it a quarter inch...is it an eighth of an inch? Where are they drawing the line?) but to hit her with an additional two stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard (like she would somehow know that some idiot was going to email the LPGA the next day and she'd get hit with a penalty?) borders on farce! You have to sign your card when you finish your round. If your score is later challenged and the score you signed for is changed by the LPGA then why is it your fault you signed the wrong total?

A common sense remedy to this would be simply not enforcing that last part of the penalty. Also unless it's a flagrant violation of a rule that gave the player an advantage over the field...there should be a time limit on how long a penalty could be applied. I think that start of play for the next round would be the place to draw that line. That way all players know where they stand at the start of play...not having to having to figure it out on hole 12 of a major!

 

[MarathonMike]

I don't disagree with you. I hated to see a major taken away from a player for something so inconsequential. The same thing almost happened to Dustin Johnson in the US Open. I think something is going to have to be put into the rules because when the rules were written, video review of previous play was inconceivable.

If the infraction occurs and is called in real-time during play on the hole, the rule stands as written. So if Lexi's playing partner calls her on misplacing the ball before they putted out on the hole, then she gets the penalty. When play has completed on that hole, then video review only applies if the player has deliberately cheated, i.e. kicked a ball out of a bad lie. Otherwise, if no one noticed the infraction during play on that hole, there is no infraction.
This is going to keep happening now that the public knows they can influence a golf tournament with their smart phone.

 

[Oldstyle]

I don't disagree with you. I hated to see a major taken away from a player for something so inconsequential. The same thing almost happened to Dustin Johnson in the US Open. I think something is going to have to be put into the rules because when the rules were written, video review of previous play was inconceivable.

If the infraction occurs and is called in real-time during play on the hole, the rule stands as written. So if Lexi's playing partner calls her on misplacing the ball before they putted out on the hole, then she gets the penalty. When play has completed on that hole, then video review only applies if the player has deliberately cheated, i.e. kicked a ball out of a bad lie. Otherwise, if no one noticed the infraction during play on that hole, there is no infraction.
This is going to keep happening now that the public knows they can influence a golf tournament with their smart phone.

What's annoying to me, Mike is that the Marshal assigned to that hole for the tournament, the person who's job it is to make sure that the rules are followed correctly, didn't see an infraction. The amount that the ball was misplaced was so small yet some anal retentive watching on TV the next day emailed tournament officials pointing out that the ball wasn't put back in the exact position it should have been. If the officials on the hole didn't catch it...if the other players playing the hole didn't catch it...if the fans watching at the hole didn't catch it...if the player herself didn't catch it...then it's obviously something so petty that you shouldn't be penalizing someone FOUR shots for it the next day in the middle of trying to win a major championship!

This is one of those situations where the PGA is so rigid about the rules of golf that they end up making a totally unfair ruling which makes them look idiotic and then have to spend months defending the indefensible! Then they wonder why golf is losing popularity?

 

[Mr Natural]

Golf

A nice walk ruined by a stupid game

 

[Oldstyle]

Golf is a game you can play for a lifetime. It's a great social event through which I've made dozens of long time friends. It's something that you'll never get bored with because you can never quite master it. I've taught the game for many years and I'm still learning new tricks and techniques. It bothers me when I see a great sport turned into farce because of "rules Nazis".

 

[rightwinger]

Yes the rules of golf are there to preserve the integrity of the game. But how are you protecting the integrity of the game because Lexi Thompson placed her ball a half inch to the side of where she originally marked it. ON A ONE FOOT PUTT!

Here is my solution:
Add a blanket statement to the rules of golf. "If an infraction has occurred on a previously played hole and the player has gained no advantage by the infraction and it is clear the player was not deliberately breaking a rule, then there is no penalty".

No harm....no foul

Especially a four stroke foul