Fore please! Running Masters thread

[trifectarich]

I had honestly never heard of the penalty assessed to Tiger before.

It was my understanding that on a penalty drop, you could go back as far as you wished, so long as you kept the line where the ball entered the hazard. I guess I sort of see the logic in it (lie, distance, etc.), but it's one of those obscure rules like the one that snared Dustin Johnson at the 2010 PGA Championship.

That is the correct ruling -- but the ball went into the water way to the left of where he dropped. He dropped under the ruling of near the location of where he previously hit -- but he dropped 2 yards farther back from that with the intent -- in his own words -- to improve the shot.

Gotcha. So he complied with neither official option? I've always dropped where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard.... and I gave up counting how many I've dumped in the water over the years.... probably about as many as they used to plug the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

OK, so I guess the question is "did anyone tell Tiger a penalty was being assessed BEFORE he signed his card Friday night?" If he didn't know he was being penalized, then he didn't know. So he gets the two-stroke penalty and life goes on. Even with all of this, he's four shots behind, which is pretty amazing.

The green jackets were alerted to a problem while Woods was finishing his round. They reviewed and determined everything was fine.

This is the part of the situation that I find hard to believe. The best rules officials in the world are at the Masters, and even the most incompetent of them could look at that video and clearly see there was a problem with where Tiger dropped. For them to say otherwise is just crazy.

My guess is that starting next year, there's a walking rules official with every group.

 

[DanOregon]

The point about the TV thing that I really agree with is that there isn't a camera on every golfer, and with the Masters limiting the TV time, it creates an unfair and unequal environment.
Sure, golfers are supposed to police themselves, but unless someone on the course spots the violation (intentional or otherwise), a golfer shouldn't be penalized.
It could be quite simple. A golfer has a question about something, he checks with an official for a ruling, and he or she is clear, unless notified before the card is signed of a different ruling.

 

[MileHigh]

What an eagle for Day. No. 2 showing its magic again.

 

[trifectarich]

Sure, golfers are supposed to police themselves, but unless someone on the course spots the violation (intentional or otherwise), a golfer shouldn't be penalized.

On the first day this policy goes into effect, the 18-hole leaders of that week's PGA Tour event would be tied at 22-under-par.

 

[DanOregon]

Would it really be that difficult to have someone walking with each group with a rule book and a cell phone to confer with a tournament official if there is a question about a ruling?

 

[DanOregon]

I didn't even realize Langer was in this tournament.

 

[MileHigh]

Would it really be that difficult to have someone walking with each group with a rule book and a cell phone to confer with a tournament official if there is a question about a ruling?

The other majors have walking rules officials. I suspect we'll see it next year at Augusta.

 

[trifectarich]

Would it really be that difficult to have someone walking with each group with a rule book and a cell phone to confer with a tournament official if there is a question about a ruling?

Does Tim Finchem want to hire 50 people to work as rules officials every week? Probably not.

 

[deskslave]

Sure, golfers are supposed to police themselves, but unless someone on the course spots the violation (intentional or otherwise), a golfer shouldn't be penalized.

On the first day this policy goes into effect, the 18-hole leaders of that week's PGA Tour event would be tied at 22-under-par.

They'd still be 32 shots behind Kim Jong Il.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Would it really be that difficult to have someone walking with each group with a rule book and a cell phone to confer with a tournament official if there is a question about a ruling?

Does Tim Finchem want to hire 50 people to work as rules officials every week? Probably not.

Tim Finchem wouldn't be paying them. All the PGA has to do is tell each tour stop that if they want to remain a tour stop they'll have to pay for the officials.

As for the majors, none of them are PGA events to that's not PGA's problem.

 

[Mark2010]

My guess is that starting next year, there's a walking rules official with every group.

I thought that was the case already at the Masters. It's a smaller field than the regular tournaments.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Would it really be that difficult to have someone walking with each group with a rule book and a cell phone to confer with a tournament official if there is a question about a ruling?

Does Tim Finchem want to hire 50 people to work as rules officials every week? Probably not.

Tim Finchem wouldn't be paying them. All the PGA has to do is tell each tour stop that if they want to remain a tour stop they'll have to pay for the officials.

As for the majors, none of them are PGA events to that's not PGA's problem.

If it's like other events, Most all of them are volunteers from the area PGA and golf associations.