Dave,
For all who say it is just a clerical error, how long should the player have to correct it?
Since this occurred on a Friday when the tour has to make a cut, they have to know that the score is correct in order to do so. How long do we wait?
On Saturday pairings have to be made for Sunday.
If it had been on Sunday when they have to hand out checks (the Futures Tour actually did hand out checks right after play), how long do they have to wait?
There are not rules officials with every group. The LPGA has 5-7 officials at any event. Only the US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship have officials with every group.
If a player hasn't signed her card, we have no way of knowing that it is correct. As Jim said it is the way the player says, "This is my score". Without the signature we have no real way of knowing if the player even looked at the card and made sure it was correct. Every day, I see scores being corrected in the scoring tent because the marker recorded it incorrectly. At the US Open I had a walking scorer incorrectly report a score that got corrected in scoring after the player and the marker agreed on what he really shot. Without the player validating the score we don't know what is correct. That is why the penalty is so severe.
All you who think it is too harsh have yet to convince me why it shouldn't be required and that it is so difficult to remember. As I said above, I did forget once and I paid the price. I wasn't happy to be DQ'ed, but I unhappy with myself, not the rule.
Your hypothetical about blue ink and pencil is a red herring. The Decisions already give players lots of leeway and restrict what the Committee can require. The player can sign it anywhere on the card. They can sign in the marker's box and the marker can sign in the players box. They can not be required to add up the score or figure out anything like best ball, Stableford points etc. After the Roe/Parnevik incident they can even turn in cards with the names of the other player on them and the Committee can correct that. They don't have to initial changes (even though many of them think they have to do so).
They can lose the card and turn in a piece of toilet paper with 18 scores and two signatures on it. That is all they have to do.
The following mistakes were made:
1) MW forgot to sign her card and left the designated scoring area.
2) When the volunteers noticed it was missing, instead of informing the LPGA, they sent someone to find her and get her to sign it. Would they have done that for a less well known player?
3) They turned it over to the LPGA with two signatures and no comment about the mistake.
4) The LPGA did not have someone in the scoring area who had enough knowledge to deal with all of this appropriately. This one should be corrected immediately.
I think the LPGA had a tough call to make about pulling her off the course when they discovered the problem after she teed off. Given they needed to talk to her about it, it makes sense not to interrupt play. But, her play could have influenced others play. If it was the fourth round, I think I would have been more in favor of resolving it during play.
Jim, the bathroom analogy is also a red herring. The player can certainly ask to leave the tent for something like that without the card being considered to be returned.