[ward peyronnin]

Mr. Eger used to post here occasionally.

I enjoyed reading these comments from a man who has lived the life : player, rules official, tournament course set up(er), player again and also a student of GCA: what a golfing life!

Just wanted to share

http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2013-10/my-shot-david-eger

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Mr. Eger used to post here occasionally.

I enjoyed reading these comments from a man who has lived the life : player, rules official, tournament course set up(er), player again and also a student of GCA: what a golfing life!

Just wanted to share

http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2013-10/my-shot-david-eger

Some great stuff.  But Eger's favorite show is Seinfeld and favorite episode is the backwards one?  C'mon man! that's like saying Michigan is your favorite golf state and The Bear is your favorite course!

[Kevin_Reilly]

Thanks for the link...those were some very "frank" comments on a number of topics.  Interesting background on the Masters ruling.

[Jim Nugent]

Real interesting interview.  It surprised me to learn you can practice putts during your rounds at the U.S. Open.  Does that mean when you putt out on number three, you can keep taking practice putts on that green, assuming you're not holding up any groups?

Fascinating discussion of the Tiger rules flap at the Masters this year.  I wonder if Fred Ridley will remain on the rules committee at next year's Masters?  

Also interesting (damning?) that Fazio redesigned a green that produced 4 holes in one in one round of the U.S. Open.  

[David Harshbarger]

Thanks for posting this.  Quite frank indeed.  Lots to think about there.

[Bryan Lewis]

Real interesting interview.  It surprised me to learn you can practice putts during your rounds at the U.S. Open.  Does that mean when you putt out on number three, you can keep taking practice putts on that green, assuming you're not holding up any groups?

Yes, that's exactly right, as long as you don't "unduly delay play", Rule 7-2.  It is too funny, I can picture David doing just that... "You might want to check with another official" while he keeps putting.  Ha!  Wouldn't Fred know that the guy who used to run the US Open would know that Rule?

[Michael Ryan]

I think this is one of the most fascinating interviews I have read in a long time...why?  Because you are actually reading what a guy thinks and not what he thinks would look best on paper associated with his name.

Like anyone with a passion for the game of golf, I'm fascinated by all things Augusta National and the Masters.  However, I have always felt that the unique aspects of the club and its place in the game lead to some very interesting realities.  Everyone with the exception of the Chairman walks on eggshells.  Everyone who plays the game counts it on their bucket list to play, journalists covet being credentialed for the event and work every year in a manner that guarantees their place in the media tent the next year above their opinions, even members conduct themselves in a way that guarantees that their dues bill continues to arrive each year.  Not to compare it to an event in which lives were lost, but it strikes me as similar to the recent airline crash in San Fran.  I've read numerous opinions from experts in aviation that say the Korean culture was partly to blame for the crash.  The captain is not to be overruled even at the risk of the aircraft and the passengers.  It sounds like the FAA came very close to barring Korean flights coming into the US 20 years ago due to this “risk” that they identified.  A co-pilot who feels that the captain is doing something that puts the aircraft at risk is not questioned in that culture.

It sounds to me like Eger is saying that all of these rules experts are more concerned with being invited back above all else.  It seems noone was in a position where they were comfortable enough to question Ridley.  Interesting to note, but I’ve been told by two different folks that Ridley did not consult with any of the rules officials on hand in reviewing this while Tiger was on the course.  

[Dan Delaney 🐮]

Knowing neither Mr. Eger nor Ridley, I can't help but wonder about the other side of the story.  Given Mr. Ridley's current responsibilities, I don't think we'll find out any time soon.

Among all the topics, I was stung a bit by Eger's conclusion that there's no solution to slow play.  For someone of his pedigree, it seems too easy an answer for the #1 problem facing the game today.

[Tim Gavrich]

Dan--

Perhaps it is distressing that Mr. Eger said there's no real solution, but yet his answer seemed to code at least a bit of a solution. He cited the distance between holes, size of the field and speed of the greens as culprits, and I think he's absolutely right. Courses that were built spread-eagled have sacrificed pace of play and if you fill up a golf course during tournament play, you're asking for interminable rounds.

[Bill Seitz]

I enjoyed the interview, but there was one part I didn't get that maybe someone can explain to me:

That's when I noticed the divot hole a good distance in front of the place where he'd played that fifth shot. Then I watched his third shot again, and I see no divot hole. I replayed the sequence again, and then again. Tricia asked for help with the tomato plants. I said, "Honey, you're going to have to wait."

I KNEW IMMEDIATELY that unless somebody intervened before Tiger signed his card, there was a 100-percent chance he would be disqualified for signing for a score lower than what he shot.  Tiger clearly didn't play his fifth shot from "as nearly as possible" from where he'd played his third shot, as required by Rule 26-1a.

Isn't "as near as possible" subjective?  I don't mean to ignite the whole thread we had on this before, but I thought the issue was that Tiger admitted that a) he knew where the spot was, and b) dropped it a club length away.  Isn't the player's intent/opinion a big part of that rule?  My impression was that if you can't find the exact spot, or choose the wrong divot, you're covered under the rule.  What if tiger had hit a 3-wood from 260 into the water and hadn't left a divot?  How likely are you to find that exact spot unless you mark it after you hit?  I mean, "possible" is doing a heck of a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.  

I'd also disagree with his assertion that some players being subject to extra scrutiny via video is not a problem, as ignoring evidence from wherever obtained would create an uneven playing field.  I'd argue exactly the opposite, but that's been hashed out plenty of times here before.  

I found the part about setting pins in four day events to be pretty interesting.  I'd never really thought about it that way before.  

[ward peyronnin]

Bill as near as possible is not very subjective. It is nor hard at all to have a very good idea where the ball was at rest and the player is protected if the drop rolls forward and comes to rest in the divot or more than two club lengths so there is no excuse to drop a ball a club length or two paces or whatever away.

I don't alltogether agree with him either about video but isn't it similar to a rules official or player "happening" to witness an infraction because they are in position to see? In the first case the official has to do his job and in the second the player can get two if he willingly ignores an infraction and the violater may/will be DQ'd for an improper scorecard. Hi def TV tho has created some situations where the camera sees more than the player and that is truly unfair

[Bill Brightly]

Knowing neither Mr. Eger nor Ridley, I can't help but wonder about the other side of the story.  Given Mr. Ridley's current responsibilities, I don't think we'll find out any time soon.

Among all the topics, I was stung a bit by Eger's conclusion that there's no solution to slow play.  For someone of his pedigree, it seems too easy an answer for the #1 problem facing the game today.

His comment about slow play does not surprise me at all. He is a pro player, and pro players tend to think this way: "Hey, we do this for a living, we are entitled to take a long time between shots."

And he is a rules official. I am not, but I imagine that enforcing slow play penalties would have to be the hardest part of an offical's job. There is no clear cut rule to follow like almost every other rule. What I "hear" him say is that don't think you can leave this problem up to officials to solve...

Ward, great article to post, I had missed this.

[Dan Kelly]

I enjoyed the interview, but there was one part I didn't get that maybe someone can explain to me:

That's when I noticed the divot hole a good distance in front of the place where he'd played that fifth shot. Then I watched his third shot again, and I see no divot hole. I replayed the sequence again, and then again. Tricia asked for help with the tomato plants. I said, "Honey, you're going to have to wait."

I KNEW IMMEDIATELY that unless somebody intervened before Tiger signed his card, there was a 100-percent chance he would be disqualified for signing for a score lower than what he shot.  Tiger clearly didn't play his fifth shot from "as nearly as possible" from where he'd played his third shot, as required by Rule 26-1a.

Isn't "as near as possible" subjective?

See "The late Peter Dobereiner on Tiger's infamous drop," at http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,55520.0.html.

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