The Drop

The USGA and R&A issued a statement on Wednesday explaining the ruling that saved Tiger Woods from disqualification at the Masters for taking an illegal drop. Basically, the governing bodies clarified that it will not serve as a precedent for waiving the penalty (disqualification) for signing an incorrect scorecard (see below under “Scope of Committee Discretion to Waive a Penalty of Disqualification for Failure to Return Correct Score”).

Pros (and amateur competitors) must still make sure they return an accurate score, so you can’t pull a “Tiger” – who was extended a lifeline because Fred Ridley, Masters tournament competition committee chairman, made an “erroneous” application of the rule. I know, darn it!

Here is the statement in full: (continue reading…)

The most famous improper drop in history

Fantastic reporting by SI’s Michael Bamberger on the series of events that led to the Tiger Woods rules snafu on the 15th hole in the second round of the Masters last month. Turns out the “television viewer” that called Fred Ridley, the tournament’s competition committee chairman — and ultimately saved Woods’ from disqualification for taking an improper drop — was Champions Tour player David Eger, according to Bamberger: (continue reading…)

The scene of the incident

Graeme McDowell’s opening round at the European PGA Championship ended on a sour note with a triple-bogey 8 to post a two-over 74. He incurred a two-shot penalty on the 18th hole at Wentworth because of a “freak” rules violation and a slight brain fart by the golfer. After an errant tee shot into the bushes, McDowell tried to take a look at his ball, which was entangled in some branches, and as he approached, he thought it may have oscillated a dimple or two.

He went ahead and punched out, and then as he walked down the fairway, he called over a rules official and asked him to take a look at the TV footage because he wasn’t sure if it had moved — even though he couldn’t have necessarily prevented it and didn’t gain an advantageous lie. Point of the rule is to protect the field from a player improving his/her lie, but there’s that gray area where intention should come into play as it does in several other rules. (continue reading…)

Kickin' it: Harman and caddy linger with intent.

That strange, anonymous blob you saw lurking at the base of the Players Championship digital leaderboard this morning should have carried the name of Sea Island native Brian Harman.

The left-hander gained late, late entry to the field as first alternate, taking the place of last week’s forgotten man, D.A. Points, but his transition from practice ground mainstay to competitor would prove circuitous, to say the least. (continue reading…)

Little lefty gets a shot

Well, it’s certainly been a strange, hectic morning at The Players Championship, and it actually didn’t directly have anything to do with Tiger Woods. Shocking, I know. In the end, it worked itself out.

Brian Harman, the first alternate, was granted a spot in the field and a 12:20pm tee time, after a sequence of strange events, where he should have replaced D.A. Points, who withdrew, in the 8:39am starting time on No. 1. (continue reading…)

Tiger sizes up an old-fashioned putt at the 2010 US Open

Further to yesterday’s announcement of the USGA and R&A’s decision to reconsider the legality of putting techniques based on “anchoring” (ie. the bracing of the putter grip against the body), 14-time major champion Tiger Woods used his pre-tournament press conference at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am to join the lobby in favour of an outright ban. (continue reading…)

Keegan Bradley's USPGA victory accelerated growth of the trend.

Yesterday’s announcement that golf’s governing bodies, the USGA and R&A, are actively considering the implementation of a rule outlawing “anchoring” (ie. the bracing of the golf club against the body during the swing/putting stroke) will come as a relief to those alarmed by the sudden prevalence of belly putters, at both professional and amateur levels. (continue reading…)

The lie in question

While playing the eleventh hole during today’s second round at the Memorial Tournament, Charl Schwartzel’s tee shot came to rest in the semi-rough behind two embedded sprinkler heads. The South African, apparently anxious that his follow-through would graze the plastic rim of one these sprinklers, requested a drop from Tour rules official Jon Brendle (he of the Padraig Harrington divot fiasco and Joost Luiten’s disqualification yesterday evening). (continue reading…)

For once, not the Tour's rules whipping boy

Padraig Harrington had a brush with disqualification on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Championship when a spectator claimed to have observed the Irishman playing from in front of the markers on the tee of the par-3 thirteenth. (continue reading…)

Bubba Watson commiserates with Simpson at the conclusion of their play-off

We probably should have brought the news to you sooner, but it looks like the USGA is exploring the possibility of changing rule 18-2b. The rule, which contributed to denying Webb Simpson his first PGA Tour victory, refers to the unintentional movement of a player’s ball at address: (continue reading…)