Lexi Thompson's delayed penalty

what an antiquated practice anyway, signing your damn score card. These guys don't carry their own bags, their caddies give them a slew of advice, etc. Why should they have to keep track of their scores? Seems pointless when the actual scores are kept in multiple places anyway. It's just a gotcha mechanism.

 

Ridiculous; what is one of the fundamental tenets of golf? It's an honor code policed among themselves. So she made a mistake that no one notified, that's part of the game. A caller 36 hrs later who saw something in HD should NOT be part of the game.

Life's not perfect; nor should it be.

 

She should have yelled, "Oh, rat farts!" at her press conference.

 

OTOH, Mike Pereira does need something to do when it's not football season.

 

They didn't do their job? She failed at her job by breaking the rules. It's on the player in golf. And if the player fails, it's up to the player's partners, caddies and yes, fans to protect the field.
Several things ...
1. The major tours are fine with fans contacting them about rules violations. They don't set up hot lines but if fans take the time and trouble to contact them, they will investigate the claims to the best of their ability, given time constraints, etc. How do people make contact? A lot of times fans just call the clubhouse. At the PGA Tour event in our area, the clubhouse staff is instructed to pass along concerns to the Tour rules staff, and they either review the video or talk to the player. It's pointless to argue this because the Tours are okay with it. They see it as another safeguard to the rules.
2. Be clear about this: there is nothing the LPGA did wrong in this incident, based on current rules and tournament policies. They didn't get the email until Thompson had made the turn. Once they reviewed the footage, it was clear she did not re-mark her ball correctly. That's two strokes. It's another two strokes for an incorrect scorecard. And she's lucky in one regard: a few years ago it would have been a flat-out DQ. She at least had a chance to win the tournament and got second place money.
3. The best players are unfairly scrutinized because most if not all of their shots are on TV? Tough. It's a small price to pay for winning more tournaments and money than anyone else. If the 167th player on the money list isn't caught cheating because his or her shots aren't televised, big deal. The cheating obviously isn't helping them.
4. What's being forgotten is in the celebrated cases of fans calling in violations (Craig Stadler "building a stance," Paul Azinger moving rocks in a hazard, Tiger's drop in the Masters, Padraig Harrington on the Euro Tour and Thompson, the fans turned out to be, duh, right.
Bottom line is that this whole thing is on Lexi Thompson. No one else.

 

According to the original article, the rules official was certain it was not intentional so Thompson had no idea there was anything wrong. It's arbitrary if a viewer sends the email that day or the next, yet it's two more strokes in one circumstance. Plus, as has been pointed out, signing cards is silly in professional tournaments.

 

I don't think that anyone is saying that Lexi didn't make a rules violation and that this was within the rules to assess the penalty. What everyone is saying is this is beyond stupid and needs to be changed.

You don't want to encourage every yahoo to police your events and call in violations.

 

Video is here for those who didn't see it. Yeah, that's definitely worth a 4-shot penalty

Lexi Thompson loses ANA Inspiration after viewer tip leads to four-stroke penalty

 

How much of this is fixed by removing the penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard if it's done accidentally?

 

They should get rid of the stupid scorecards altogether for pro events. There are more newfangled ways of tracking that other than a pencil.

I don't think fans would miss the signing the scorecard ceremony.

 

good point. I mean, a four-stroke penalty for that? for a misplaced ball that didn't really do anything for her? that's insanely harsh.