"I guess I knew the rule wrong"

[rboyce]

Classic quote.

Michelle Wie didn't realize touching moss or "dirt" during her backswing in a bunker was a violation.

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=2539214

[Tom Huckaby]

I just read that also.

This just proves that however great she is, and whatever a conglomerate/brand she has already become, well....

She is still just 16.  That's a classic quote I would expect from any 16 year old.  To me it's kind of refreshing....

TH

[Brian McElveen]

 :oWHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I gotta hear what she thought the rule meant.

[Brian_Ewen]

Beverly Lewis and Karen Stupples commentating for the BBC didnt know the rule either  , much to Peter Alliss's muted amazement .

It was the best laugh of the afternoon after , the statement that Natalie Gulbis's father follows her to EVERY tournament apart from this one , because he doesn't have a passport .

Is it really so difficult for American Citizens to get a passport ? .

[Tom Huckaby]

Is it really so difficult for American Citizens to get a passport ? .

You'd be surprised - there's quite a bit of red tape involved.  Oh, it's not overly difficult... it just does take some time and attention.  From what I can tell about Natalie Gulbis' father - seeing him on TV and in other interviews - dealing with "the man" is likely not something he cherishes.  Thus I am not surprised at all he doesn't have a passport.

TH

[Brent Hutto]

Before today, I would have bet a nickel that there was no penalty if your club touched something during the backswing. Shows what I know about the Rules, I suppose.

Then again, I don't get paid to play in golf tournaments.

[Jordan Wall]

Uh Oh.

Maybe she should spend time reading the rulebook
 

[Brian_Ewen]

I know , I dont watch much Ladies golf , but today was as an enjoyable afternoon on the couch as I have had for a while .

There seemed to be a lot going on , but a lot of the enjoyment came from all the different swings these girls have , quirks and all .

I had forgotten how robotically perfect the Mens tours had become .

Looking forward to the weekend .

[Brian_Ewen]

""Maybe she should spend time reading the rulebook""

Again  

[Marty Bonnar]

Uh Oh.

Maybe she should spend time reading the rulebook
 

Jordan,
I had composed a massively long reply to Mr Huckaby citing many long-winded examples, but you succinctly managed to convey the same info in ONE sentence. Congratulations, young man.

I guess not ALL 16 year olds are ignorant of the Rules!?!?


FBD.

[Jordan Wall]

Martin,

Even Huck should admit how dumb it is to "not know" there is a penalty for hitting something (ie-grounding your club) on your backswing in a HAZARD...

[Tom Huckaby]

In case anyone wonders or cares, here's the applicable rule:

13-4 Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions
Except as provided in the Rules, before making a stroke at a ball that is in a hazard (whether a bunker or a water hazard) or that, having been lifted from a hazard, may be dropped or placed in the hazard, the player must not:
(a) Test the condition of the hazard or any similar hazard;(b) Touch the ground in the hazard or water in the water hazard with his hand or a club; or(c) Touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard.


And to understand it completely, you need these definitions:


Hazards
A “hazard’’ is any bunker or water hazard.



Stroke
A “stroke’’ is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball, but if a player checks his downswing voluntarily before the clubhead reaches the ball he has not made a stroke.



So basically in more plain English regarding Wie's case, it's a penalty if you touch the ground in a bunker before the club starts moving forward in the swing.  Or maybe that's less plain.  

In any case, I gotta admit I wasn't 100% certain of this myself - it's one of the many golf rules that at first sound counter-intuitive, but when one things about how abuses could happen if they didn't exist, all of a sudden make sense...

TH

[Tim Pitner]

I haven't seen any video of the incident--I read something about "moss" behind her ball in a bunker.  Is that accurate?  Could she have avoided the moss?  Should she have altered her target (e.g., played sideways) to avoid it?

[Tom Huckaby]

Martin and Jordan:

First, I wasn't condoning her ignorance of the rules.  As a professional golfer, she should know better.  What I found refreshing was her somewhat child-like language:  "I guess I knew the rule wrong."  That to me makes her sound like a teenager, which I kinda like, since above all, she still is one and I hope for her sake she remains until it no longer applies.

 

Second - sorry to disappoint you Jordan, but I know the rules pretty darn well, and this is one I did have to look up to make sure.  Oh, my gut feeling was it was illegal - and it's not something I'd do playing the game - but I wasn't 100% sure of the rule and WHY it was a penalty.  THus I looked it up and posted it.

TH

[Jordan Wall]

If moss caused the hazard to move, its a penalty.

Plus, why not just take the club up steeper and then we have no incident??

[Marty Bonnar]

Martin,

Even Huck should admit how dumb it is to "not know" there is a penalty for hitting something (ie-grounding your club) on your backswing in a HAZARD...

What a stupid he is!

BTW,
re posting a photo of your girlfriend on here. I think you can feel safe.
There's my handsome visage over there
<-
and I get almost no offensive or explicit email.

 
FBD.

[Tom Huckaby]

If moss caused the hazard to move, its a penalty.

Plus, why not just take the club up steeper and then we have no incident??

It's obvious the ruling was correct and the penalty was correctly applied.  Moss is part of the "ground in the hazard."

And hell yes, had she to do it over again, she damn well should have taken it up steeper and not touched the moss.  It also does remain very surprising to me she was ignorant of this.  But one does live and learn....

TH

[Jordan Wall]

If moss caused the hazard to move, its a penalty.

Plus, why not just take the club up steeper and then we have no incident??

But one does live and learn....

TH

Live and Learn
Twice I guess...

Lemme see, this could be good.
At least this time it wasnt a DQ!

[Tom Huckaby]

Jordan - quite a few pros get penalized for rules infractions.  Oh, young Ms. Wie is getting off to a pretty poor start re such things, without a doubt... But be careful living in that glass house.  Play competitively long enough and I have zero doubt something like this will happen to you...

 

[Brian_Ewen]

Tom
Absolutely !

[Jordan Wall]

Tom,

I dont really care that she messed up.

But how do you "know a rule wrong"
Just fess up to your mistakes and dont pretend and act stupid
honestly, it is a bunker...

[Tom Huckaby]

Jordan:

You're missing the point.  That's just rather immature language which really means:

"I didn't know the rule."

I don't think she's denying mistakes at all, nor pretending, nor acting stupid.

She's just a kid, and used kid-like language.

Have you ever heard her interviewed?  This is FAR FAR FAR from atypical.

And again, I find it kinda neat.  It would be depressing if she was as damn near perfect in language, and guarded with the press, as is our man Tiger Woods.

TH

[Glenn Spencer]

Jordan - quite a few pros get penalized for rules infractions.  Oh, young Ms. Wie is getting off to a pretty poor start re such things, without a doubt... But be careful living in that glass house.  Play competitively long enough and I have zero doubt something like this will happen to you...

 

Play competitively and you will break a rule sometime, play competitively at a high enough level and someone will make you aware that you have broken a rule.

[Andy Scanlon]

She really needs to attend a rules seminar.  Any volunteers to her?

[Tom Huckaby]

Glenn - yep - Jordan is just not far along enough yet to get that.  Here's hoping he's the extremely rare player who never does run afoul of either of those things....

 

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