Oh My Lord, if this "grounding club in waste bunker" happens...

[Mike McGuire]

Bad decision not to define some bunkers as waste area.

But they did and for the player to not even consider he was in a bunker is not paying attention.

When he backed off due to the sunlight  - he looked around like he was wondering if he was in a bunker.

[Mike_Young]

They made the right ruling based on their local rule....BUT it was a bad local rule....I would like to know how they define bunker....or did they say all "sand areas"     In theory you could spray round up on an area and it be considered a bunker right???  Bad local rule...

[Bill Seitz]

My feeling is this: If they let spectators stand someplace, it isn't a bunker.

The first thing I would have looked for is a rake.  No rake, no bunker.  One of the first thing one learns with regard to etiquette is that you always rake your bunker.  It's right up there with replacing divots and fixing ball marks.  But the PGA has decided it's OK to play areas as bunkers that have had hundreds of spectators trampling through them.  Just crazy.  Just rope the thing off.  

[Andy Hodson]

If the PGA made a mistake, its this: In a situation like this one at WS, if there might be confusion, rule them all as waste. Therefore no possiblity of this happening.

[Phil McDade]

Phil,

That won't be an issue at Kiawah (I'm there right now) as all sand is considered "waste" area and grounding one's club is permitted.

Will:

Thanks for the info. -- will that be the case even for greenside bunkers?

[Steve Lapper]

One presumes this will come up at Kiawah and the Walker Cup at NGLA in coming years....

If you're going to rip WS for this, might as well rip those courses.

Hardly!! While Pete Dye and Herb Kohler have now seen their extraneous sand pimples exposed for what they really are: amateur hour silliness, I believe (and could well be wrong) that Kiawah's Ocean Course has declared many of the sandy areas not in immediately play to be waste areas.

You probably haven't seen NGLA anytime of late as there isn't anything remotely extraneous about their hazards. Of this, I am sure!

It's a pity that such a drama-filled major that highlighted the arrival of golf's next competitive generation was reduced to rinky-dink and golf garbage. At least DJ's class in dealing head-on with the press and blaming no one feels like a breath of fresh air.

[Marty Bonnar]

We in the UK got to hear the Rules guy before Dustin.
Apparently, they've posted signs ALL OVER the locker room (including on the mirrors) discussing the 'unique' nature of WS and the 'sand areas' telling the players they're ALL BUNKERS.
Dustin said he didn't realise it was a bunker. He's either blind or stupid. From 5000 miles away I could tell it was SAND! He should at least have asked the walking rules guy for clarification. Anyway, hindsight is 20/20.
Bet they start filling in some of those suckers before WS gets any more big events...

FBD.

[Ron Csigo]

Will the PGA allow spectators to trample around in the bunkers next year at Atlanta Athletic Club?

[V. Kmetz]

Steve L,


Well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that's the issue exactly...failure after failure

It makes me crazy that some are taking the "Dems da' rules" approach to this and wishing Dustin Johnson luck.  He doesn't need their good wishes, he needs to have an administration and foresight to not allow this to happen

No local rule
where's the Rules official
where's the crowd control
where's the rules official

and for my money...no more whistling Straits

cheers

vk

[Will Spivey]

Phil,

At Kiawah, for everyday play all sand is "waste area", including greenside areas. In several cases there are greenside "bunkers" that are used as cartpaths - all cartpaths on the Ocean Course are sand.

[John Moore II]

One presumes this will come up at Kiawah and the Walker Cup at NGLA in coming years....

If you're going to rip WS for this, might as well rip those courses.

Hardly!! While Pete Dye and Herb Kohler have now seen their extraneous sand pimples exposed for what they really are: amateur hour silliness, I believe (and could well be wrong) that Kiawah's Ocean Course has declared many of the sandy areas not in immediately play to be waste areas.

I am under the impression this is normally the case at WS as well. The PGA made the decision to declare them all hazards and that decision was dead wrong as far as I'm concerned. I have nothing wrong with courses being designed with waste bunkers like this, but they are without doubt waste areas.

You probably haven't seen NGLA anytime of late as there isn't anything remotely extraneous about their hazards. Of this, I am sure!

It's a pity that such a drama-filled major that highlighted the arrival of golf's next competitive generation was reduced to rinky-dink and golf garbage. At least DJ's class in dealing head-on with the press and blaming no one feels like a breath of fresh air.

[Fred Yanni]

I hear both sides and think it's an honest mistake. You hit it in the crowd, footprints all around your ball, last hole of a major, huge nerves, a chance to redeem yourself after the us open.   i make the same mistake and assume it's just a worn down walking path.  Just a horrible local rule by PGA which makes all sides look bad.   Really a bad moment for golf in my opinion.    

[Kyle Harris]

Oddly, nobody has pointed out that a supposedly extraneous bunker was...


...IN PLAY!

[V. Kmetz]

I ask again...

where is the rules official for their pairing

cheers

vk

[Phil McDade]

One presumes this will come up at Kiawah and the Walker Cup at NGLA in coming years....

If you're going to rip WS for this, might as well rip those courses.

Hardly!! While Pete Dye and Herb Kohler have now seen their extraneous sand pimples exposed for what they really are: amateur hour silliness, I believe (and could well be wrong) that Kiawah's Ocean Course has declared many of the sandy areas not in immediately play to be waste areas.

You probably haven't seen NGLA anytime of late as there isn't anything remotely extraneous about their hazards. Of this, I am sure!

It's a pity that such a drama-filled major that highlighted the arrival of golf's next competitive generation was reduced to rinky-dink and golf garbage. At least DJ's class in dealing head-on with the press and blaming no one feels like a breath of fresh air.

Steve:

My bad -- I typed NGLA and really meant Pine Valley.

If what Will reports is true (from other thread), everyone's going to be allowed to ground their clubs while sitting in greenside bunkers on the 18th hole of the final round of play at Kiawah?

[V. Kmetz]

Kyle...

I don't know if you are tweaking Dye or tweaking all of us for the word "extraneous"

If it's the former - good show

If it's the latter then the Superintendents yard where he stores manure is also IN PLAY on many courses, but I don't hear anyone talking about grass clippings and sand piles as great architecture.

cheers

vk

[Kevin Pallier]

I ask again...

where is the rules official for their pairing

cheers

vk

VK

Why does that matter ?

Isn't it up to the pro. to request the advice of a rules official  ?

[Kyle Harris]

Kyle...

I don't know if you are tweaking Dye or tweaking all of us for the word "extraneous"

If it's the former - good show

If it's the latter then the Superintendents yard where he stores manure is also IN PLAY on many courses, but I don't hear anyone talking about grass clippings and sand piles as great architecture.

cheers

vk

In play as in, it was found during the normal course of the tournament.

A complete ends justifies the means sort of argument and a tweak at the entire situation.

[Fred Yanni]

Buddy just emailed my the best line I heard tonight

"if fans can walk in it, it ain't a bunker....."

[Scott Coan]

This should please the "don't-rake-the-bunkers-they-are-hazards" crowd to no end.

Hat's off to Dustin Johnson for not going ballistic.  The guys ALL CLASS.

They should have held the winning ceremony in a greenside bunker...

[Kyle Harris]

Buddy just emailed my the best line I heard tonight

"if fans can walk in it, it ain't a bunker....."

Sounds like the PGA finally got bunker maintenance right by letting people walk in them.

[V. Kmetz]

Kevin...

Come on, I understand the rules Official's impartial aspects...but he would have been there to start with as the crowd had literally made a donut hole around the ball

Why - as another poster said - place flyers on the mirrors and all the rest of it and that at the moment that really means something...go silent.

Well, it's all over now and I wonder just how many days it will take for you to forget who just won this years' PGA.

cheers

vk

[Steve Lapper]

One presumes this will come up at Kiawah and the Walker Cup at NGLA in coming years....

If you're going to rip WS for this, might as well rip those courses.

Hardly!! While Pete Dye and Herb Kohler have now seen their extraneous sand pimples exposed for what they really are: amateur hour silliness, I believe (and could well be wrong) that Kiawah's Ocean Course has declared many of the sandy areas not in immediately play to be waste areas.

You probably haven't seen NGLA anytime of late as there isn't anything remotely extraneous about their hazards. Of this, I am sure!

It's a pity that such a drama-filled major that highlighted the arrival of golf's next competitive generation was reduced to rinky-dink and golf garbage. At least DJ's class in dealing head-on with the press and blaming no one feels like a breath of fresh air.

Steve:

My bad -- I typed NGLA and really meant Pine Valley.

If what Will reports is true (from other thread), everyone's going to be allowed to ground their clubs while sitting in greenside bunkers on the 18th hole of the final round of play at Kiawah?

Phil,

  Pine Valley declares most of it's sandy areas non-greenside to be waste hazards. In fact, I played there last year and recall my host remarking that he had played out at WS a week before and found it "so contrived, especially all those dumb sand pits all over the d..n place!." He just wrote me an e-mail reminding me of his statement...prescient!

[Brad Klein]

On the replay, it looks like Dustin Johnson steps right up to the ball and grounds his club, then takes a step back to see what he was in. He's quick to play -- too quick. And it's his caddie's responsibility to remind him before he has a club in his hands.

It might be an odd delineation of the golf course, but everyone knew about it beforehand, though if CBS was in on the production meeting when the rule came up Wednesday they blew the call at the time on Sunday afternoon.

[V. Kmetz]

God what robbery...

I'm watching Kaymer - he's a superb golfer and it seems a nice man, i'm ahppy for him - but the best golfer was not identified this week and I can say that because we will never know what Johnson's tally in the playoff was.

cheers

vk