No. 17 at Ocean Forest Golf Club
My sincere apologies for the respite in regular posting. I should’ve put up a message that I’d be taking a few days off. My bad. Good news is I’m back now.
Even better news? So is Jason Dufner…on Twitter.
As we catch up on the news and highlights of a busy couple of days in golf — Dufner drained a clutch 25-footer on the 72nd hole to win the Byron Nelson Championship. Playing in the group ahead, Dicky Pride had rolled in a similar putt to save par from the fairway after knocking his drive into the drink. For a few minutes, it looked like Dufner and Pride would go into a sudden death playoff, but Duf came up big to take care of business in regulation.
Now obviously on the LPGA there was a major controversy with a slow-play ruling in the semifinals match between Morgan Pressel and Azahara Munoz. Awkward situation, but I feel OK with it. I know there were only four players on the course, but Pressel broke a rule and was penalized accordingly. My goodness — a tour actually enforcing slow-play penalties! Go figure. I’ll delve into the incident in more depth, but you can treat this as your open thread to discuss your thoughts.
By the way, I don’t think the LPGA decided to make a statement because of the recent spotlight on the slow-play problem on the PGA Tour and reluctance to hand out penalties beyond fines. The LPGA has doled out strokes on two prior occasions this season and gave five last year. That’s probably not enough, but you gotta start somewhere.
Meanwhile, the 36-hole British Open qualifier is still underway at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, Texas. The top eight finishers earn spots into the Open in at Royal Lytham in July. Harris English fired a sizzling 10-under 60 in the first round, including six birdies on his final six holes (he teed off No. 9). With three holes to play, he’s leading the qualifier by a commanding five shots. Well played…
Here now, some pretty pictures of my afternoon at Ocean Forest Golf Cub on Sea Island last Thursday — it rained all week, but the skies cleared for just enough to get in a round.
Not a good sign on the first hole...
No. 13
No. 10
Skies clearing!
By the ocean...
Marsh...
Me on No. 17 getting ready to close the match
Glad to have you back!
PGA tour needs to be doing what LPGA tour is doing- enforce the slow play penalty. they have equipments to measure all kinds of stuff, it shouldn’t be hard to time individual players for their play. I promise you, they get nailed once, they will not be doing it again.
Sorry, disagree. Totally ridiculous to give that penalty in that situation. Hustle them along, give them a hard time, but to cost her the match and all that entails is not equitable. btw, I think Azhara should have conceded the next hole to her to make up for it.
I don’t think the penalty lost her the match. Pressel is a bit of a hothead on the course, and she let it get to her. Instead of using her obvious anger to her advantage, she let it blow up, and instead went grasping at straws to try and get a penalty called on her opponent.
BrianS completely agree that hustling them along would have been the right thing to do.
As for conceding the next hole, she really would have had to concede the next two in order to get Morgan back to square. Morgan won 12 to go 3 up and the penalty actually reduced her lead to 1 up. No way for Munoz to deal with it.
That cart path looks just wonderful right by the ocean — not. Morons.
I know, it would only get one back. (conceding). But I was thinking that to conceed 2 holes would leave her 3 down with only 4 to play, which is worse than she was before. So I figured 2 down 4 to play was about level with 3 down 5 to play. Either way, it was unfair to both players, in that Azah’a great W (and btw, it was pretty amazing that they both went out and won their afternoon matches) was somewhat tainted, and obviously that Morgan lost out.
They were not holding up anyone. There was no one behind them. They are playing for significant money. At my club the rounds take 4 1/2 hours and we are playing $2 nassaus. The day before, a match was warned about being out of position and a few holes later their match ended before any of the others. Slow play is not a problem, too many comercials on the telecast is a problem.
Yes, penalties need to be given for slow play, but that was NOT the place to do it. 4 players on the course, national TV, high profile match, no harm done to other players in the 4 player field. The focus went from 4 superb LPGA players to a controversial ruling made by an over zealous idiot.
The LPGA shot itself in the foot. Again.
Cat fight on hole number 13…quick run..hot Spanish babe and blonde from Florida….dude I’m thier…let’s video tape it…hee hee hee
Sums it up for me.
Ms. Wei..promote shoshana to assistant editor..if u got time off..leave an open thread up..this is not a one person operation is it?
I have no problem with the penalty. They are told they are being put on the clock and that is the warning. If they take more than the allotted time after that, they get a penalty. One of the quirks of this is that she won the hole, so it was sort of like a double penalty, but that isn’t unique to the slow-play penalty. Of course, the flip side is if you lose a hole, a penalty is irrelevant, and would be even if they changed it to a one-shot penalty.
While agree that slow play is a problem, and I commend the LPGA for addressing with a much more firm hand than the PGA TOUR (contrary to stereotype, it’s the men who have to courage), the problem is that they were choosing not to be at all flexible. Rule 6-7 of the Rules of Golf uses words like “guidelines” and “may” to indicate that some flexibility is permitted. Changing conditions are a reason for that, and with the gusty winds Pressel was experiencing on the 12th tee, that should have been considered. The LPGA official crowing that she had to enforce the rules simply isn’t credible.
Blame it on The Player’s Championship. If this was a proactive move by the LPGA and the rules official I would still disagree but applaud the moxie. This was strictly reactive to the slowplay dialogue that reignited at Sawgrass.
Situationally, this has to be the worst use of the slow play rule ever. I’m sure there is an in-depth definition of slow play in regards to golf, but as anyone who has played a round of golf knows, it’s only brought up when groups behind the culprit get held up. Pressel vs Munoz was the last group on the course rendering the real life application of slow play moot.
I thought you did warn us of the break Steph?
Morgan Pressel is way too emotional….