The winning putt. Finally.
With darkness quickly closing in at CordeValle, Bryce Molder drained a seven-footer for birdie on No. 17 to beat Briny Baird on the sixth playoff hole. (Finally. Cripes, it was like, does either of you want to win this tournament?) Before Baird putted, Molder fixed a ballmark in his own line and then right before Molder putted, he tapped down the green six or seven times in the same area in front of the cup.
I missed it initially, but Geoff Shackelford brought it to my attention on Twitter: “I’m sorry, but did Bryce Molder just pat down the green in front of the cup before making that putt? #illegallastIchecked”
So I rewinded the coverage and watched the taps-in-question a few times. I also noticed Molder fixed a ballmark several minutes earlier. (Geoff and I are fully aware Molder is allowed to fix a ballmark.) We can come to the conclusion that he was just tapping down the ballmark he fixed earlier, but the amount of acreage he covered seemed a tad suspicious.
As Shack tweeted, “It sure was a big ballmark!” He also posted a TwitVid of the taps in question (hurry and watch it now before the Tour makes him take it down!).
Now this might be a moot point since a winner has already been announced, so the standings are final and even if Molder acted against the spirit of the game, he’s still the winner of the Frys.com Open. Either way, it’s surely a good topic for debate.
I haven’t played competitive golf in nearly eight years, but I don’t think the etiquette has changed much since then. If I were to fix a ballmark, I’d point it out to my competitor(s) first, especially if it’s not my ballmark and it’s in my line. And if I were to tap down the area that was in my line several minutes after fixing it, I would also inform my competitor(s). That’s like second nature and common courtesy. Plus, you’d rather be safe than sorry (you’d be surprised what sticklers junior golfers are for rules and try to play mind games with you by accusing you of a violation).
Basically, what Molder did looked a tad sketchy. Whether or not he acted against the spirit of the rules is up for debate, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Calling all rules nerds: What say you?
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Possibly he thought because of the rounded bottom of the putter he had to move it that much to make contact with the entire ball mark.
Is this like viewer phone ins?
Watch when pros miss a putt they get mad and tap down ball marks all the time but do not get penalized. The area around the 18th hole looked like it had a ton of ball marks and divots. I say everything Otay.
Jack: tapping down a spike mark after a putt is considered good etiquette. Tapping down spike marks prior to putting is cheating.
There is no breach of the Rules when players tap down old hole plugs or damage to the putting green caused by the impact of a ball (Rule 16-1c). Also, there is nothing in the Rules that requires them to inform a fellow competitor first, though it is obviously good etiquette to do so. Professional golfers are well aware that they cannot repair spike marks on their line of putt, or in the vicinity of the hole, so I would be confident that Bryce Molder did not incur a penalty for his action.
Barry Rhodes
Why is it illegal to tap down spike marks in your line? What other “cleaning” of your putting line is illegal?
I think he violated rule 15c-211. This is illegal! Who does he think he is, Vijay ?
I did not see Molder fix the ball mark prior to Baird putting. If you say it happened then I guess it happened. He definitely was tapping more than a fixed ball mark and if you watch the replay, Baird stepped right in the area Molder was tapping when he (Baird) went to retrieve his ball from his holed putt. I have spent some time around tour pros and surprise, they are not all as noble as the commentators would have the public think. Did Molder break the rules? Only he knows for sure. This particular rule is not about intent but rather about fact. Could have been tapping down grass that was disturbed when Mark Russell (rules official) was measuring to see who was away? RULES VIOLATION! One stroke penalty. Play continues.
I heard that he is claiming that he was tapping down the remnants of an earlier repair job of ballmarks.
How convenient. The remnants of earlier repair jobs just happened to be in the same spot where spike marks were. How many guys pitched the ball that close to the hole on Sunday? If anyone knows the answer then the mystery might be solved.
One more thing. With a situation like that where everything rides on that one putt, it’s always best to consult your playing competitor if he/she is okay with your assumption that what you are about to fix is a ball mark and not “other damage”.
Good insight , Peter B.
KR1 I knew that.
Jack the Tripper, when I first read your post it seemed like you didn’t, but I re-read it in another way and I see that you did. I understand how kr1 was mistaken…
I have played competetive golf and you can fix any ball mark you want whether it is in your line or not. You also can tap down a ball mark without having to fix it, maybe someone fixed it before but did not tap it down the way he wanted it. Also, the only time I inform my playing competitor and get him involved is when I am not 100% sure it is a ball mark. I think everyone needs to worry about themselves because if he did something wrong Briny would have called him on it.
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