Running 2010 PGA Thread

I'd love to see Johnson unleash when he was being interviewed:

"Fuck Pete Dye. Fuck this course. And Fuck the PGA."

 

I'm coming into this late; spent much of the day in airports and just saw much of an extensive interview on TGC.

I had no idea thousands of spectators were permitted to walk through bunkers; that is ridiculous.

 

The main PGA rules guy is on Golf Channel right now. They put a notice in every locker about this. And it was the No. 1 item on the local rules list. It was definitely a violation and one Johnson should have thought about. The TV aspect of it is certainly a legitimate issue, as far as the cameras aren't always on every player.

They're asking the PGA guy if they will look to change the rule in 2015. Why the hell would they have to do that? Who's going to forget about the rule now?

Saw a stat that showed the lowest cumulative scores for players who made the cut at all four majors. Phil was No. 1 at -18. Second? Tiger, somehow, at -13.

And there are 1,200 "bunkers" on the course. People are going to walk in some of them. It seems like this was spelled out in numerous ways to the players, and only one messed it up (unless the cameras, of course, didn't catch the other criminals).

 

Why should the PGA reconsider going back? They had a three-way playoff the first time and another playoff today. Plus, today it seemed as if at least one player in the last five groups had a chance to take the lead or tie for the lead heading to No. 18.

I feel bad for Johnson, because I agree, that didn't look like a bunker to me. Especially with people standing inside of it. But as soon as he grounded the club, I thought, "Did he just ground his club in a bunker?"

All in all, a pretty good Sunday of major championship golf - great putt by Kaymer for par on the 18th. Plus, the course looks fantastic.

 

All I could think of was Nathan Thurm. I swear I could see the sweat on his upper lip.

 

The rule was incredibly stupid. You can't have bunkers that are used by spectators. In fact, if I were the pros, I'd boycott the course until the rule was changed. Let some club pro win in 2015.
The rules of golf are supposed to insure fair competition, not unfair competition. And I'll bet anyone on this board my house that if it were T. Woods or P. Mickelson making that shot on 18 with a one-stroke lead, the PGA wouldn't have said boo.

 

As far as people standing in these bunkers, remember this: these are far out of the range of play.

It takes a pretty badly mishit ball to get in them. That would be the primary reason Johnson lost the title.

 

Wise or unwise, he had notice. Also, was there a big stink when something like this happened the last time it was played there?

And when the ball is in the sand, the golfer and his caddy have to be smarter.

 

I was always drilled that the blade of the club should never touch sand of any kind unless you are striking the ball.

Has this ever come up on a course where you have a beach and players could be playing out of sand that was not "bunker" sand?

 

I feel bad for the guy, and the fact that a bunker is that far off the fairway is a little silly, but it only takes two seconds to ask for a ruling. And at that point in a major championship, he should have done so. But what a great finish.

 

Though I agree that a rule is a rule and all and Johnson started his demise with a wayward shot off the tee this is what bugs me about golf and its officials.

In football and hoops you hear the refs/officials all the time during a contest remind players that they may be getting close to a violation/foul. Players know the rules but the officials are smart enough and good enough to keep an eye open and control the contest.

Yes, Johnson should have asked for a rules clarification. But would it have killed a PGA official to be on top of the situation and be proactive and remind Johnson the ball was in a bunker? Was there a PGA official within shouting distance to ask for a clarification?

I just don't see how an official taking a moment to remind Johnson he was in a bunker would have hurt the pristine image of our honorable sport.

Last, is the PGA official interviewed by CBS done stammering yet? :

 

Granted, Johnson should have put his drive in the fairway.

Pete Dye can take his 500 yard par 4, his RR ties and his 1,000 bunkers and eat sand.

The PGA should thank its lucky stars that Johnson didn't make his par putt on 18. Can you imagine the reaction? Guy thinks he's just won a major, crowd thinks he's just won the PGA and some rules dufus comes up and puts his hand on his shoulder and says, "Rule No. 1 says ..."