Bad Manners and Verbal Assaults on a Golf referee

[Bob_Huntley]

I have just witnessed the most disgusting behavior from Serena Willams in the US Tennis Open. Could a referee in a golf match penalize a golfer for berating them for a ruling that was correct? 

Bob

[JC Jones]

It was so much more fun to watch tennis players berate the umpires when it was Jimmy Connors and Patrick McEnroe. 

[Padraig Dooley]

33-7 allows for disqualification for serious breaches of etiquette. So, yes it could be done.

[Bob_Huntley]

It was so much more fun to watch tennis players berate the umpires when it was Jimmy Connors and Patrick McEnroe. 

JC,

I heard that years ago McEnroe tried his shtick in Australia where the umpire was a former Aussie Rules player. After a couple of words from the official he tempered his behavior.

Bob

[JLahrman]

Well that was par for the course for Serena, although I doubt that she is the only player on tour that acts like that.  Not to mention athletes in other sports.  But if there is no penalty, there is no reason to display any class.

The advent of instance replay on show courts has lessened the number of televised tantrums that we see...

[Mike_Clayton]

Bob,
McEnroe was defaulted in that match the Australian Open.It was obviously early in the season and they had changed the penalty point system - he had one less warning than he thought and was out.

The best abuse line was partly in jest on the European Tour many years ago. I am not even sure who the player was.
Player to Referee 'Can I call you a ****?
'No'
'Can I think your'e a ****'?
'You can'
Well,I think your'e a ****"

[Joe Bausch]

It was so much more fun to watch tennis players berate the umpires when it was Jimmy Connors and Patrick McEnroe. 

Patrick was well behaved.  I think you mean Johnny Mac.

[JC Jones]

It was so much more fun to watch tennis players berate the umpires when it was Jimmy Connors and Patrick McEnroe. 

Patrick was well behaved.  I think you mean Johnny Mac.

You're right; Patrick came to mind first because I've been watching a lot of the coverage the last two weeks.

[JLahrman]

Serena is an unpleasant piece of work no doubt - as much for the passive aggressive way she does media interviews as anything else - difficult to watch. I do, however, think many would argue that she had right to feel aggrieved in this instance (not that it excuses the way she handled it).

It seemed like a pedantic response from the umpire to award the point to Stosar who was never ever going to get to that ball. Also, Williams may have previous where going off the handle at officials is concerned, but I haven't heard that she has a reputation for gamesmanship where her opponents are concerned. But then I could be wrong, I don't watch much ladies tennis...

Brian, which ball are you referring to?  The one I saw, Stosur hit it back.  I believe that's the point that was awarded to Stosur.

Part of the problem is a lack of enforcement overall.  The shrieking by Sharapova, Azarenka, and others should be penalized.  Grunting when you hit is one thing, and it's hard to draw a line, but the shrieking needs to be addressed.

I've never seen Serena attempt gamesmanship or be ungracious to her opponents except in post-match press conferences.

[Chris_Blakely]

If was a god awful call by the referee and almost everyone at Flushing Meadow felt the same way.  That being said Williams reacted in a very poor manner.  She said after the match it was not the reason she lost.

Chris

[Bob_Huntley]

Bob,
McEnroe was defaulted in that match the Australian Open.It was obviously early in the season and they had changed the penalty point system - he had one less warning than he thought and was out.

The best abuse line was partly in jest on the European Tour many years ago. I am not even sure who the player was.
Player to Referee 'Can I call you a ****?
'No'
'Can I think your'e a ****'?
'You can'
Well,I think your'e a ****"

Mike,

I think it was Simon Hobday.

Bob

[Mike McGuire]

It appeared Serena did not shake the referees hand after the match, which is customary.

[Bob_Huntley]

I received this a short while ago that should be the definitive answer. It came from someone in hibernation and I do believe that just about everyone would like him back.



"Could a referee in a golf match penalize a golfer for berating them for a  
ruling that was correct?"
 
 
Bob:
 
Rule 33-7 gives the COMIMITTEE the power to disqualify a player in match or
 stroke play for an exceptional breach of etiquette. A Rules official on  
course would in almost all cases have to refer this decision to the
Committee.  The Rules do not give The Committee the right to impose a penalty other  
than disqualification on a player for a serious breach of etiquette.
 
Rule 33-1 actually gives "The Committee" quite a lot of latitude to act and
 make decisions provided the Committee does not waive a Rule of Golf.
 
The USGA and the R&A I believe are beginning to find themselves in  a
situation these days where they may have to do a fairly thorough review  of the
entire "Committee" (Rule 33 and somewhat Rule 34) roll in the Rules. The  
whole Structure of Committee responsibility is a fairly strange one wherein
Rule  33 refers to Appendix 1 and vice versa. Appendix 1 contains all  the
Local and Special Rules and the language of the "Conditions of  Competition."
 
It will be interesting to see if the R&A and USGA begin to take more  
control of the writing of various "Conditions of Competition" like a Local Rule  
that could allow "The Committee to make a field use a competition ball under
a  "Condition of Competition."
 
So far the USGA has just stuck with its years long procedure of  allowing a
committee or "The Committee" (Rule 33) to do most anything  provided it
does not waive or violate any Rule of Golf.
 
"The Committee" in the Rules of Golf is actually a little over a century  
old as an actual Rule.
 
On the etiquette issue though, Rule 33-7 was enhanced about ten years ago  
to allow The Committee the right to disqualify a player for a serious breach
of  etiquette. Before that it was much murkier and the way the Committee  
could remove a player for a serious breach of etiquette before that was to  
essentially withdraw the players invitation or entry to the tournament and  
ask him to leave the competition immediately.
 
I actually saw something like that over ten years ago in a US Open  
qualifier here in xxxxx. One player seemed to be having some mental problems  and he threatened to pull a gun on his fellow competitors. We withdrew his  
entry on the spot and removed him from the course and called the police.
 
 

[Peter Pallotta]

Ah, I grow old, I grow old - I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Do I dare to eat a peach? Will we ever see the likes of Arthur Ashe or Margaret Court again?

Peter
 

[Tim Martin]

It was so much more fun to watch tennis players berate the umpires when it was Jimmy Connors and Patrick McEnroe. 

Patrick was well behaved.  I think you mean Johnny Mac.

You're right; Patrick came to mind first because I've been watching a lot of the coverage the last two weeks.

Although I think her behavior was over the top it does not compare to what JMac, Connors and Nastase used to do to the chair umpires.

[paul cowley]

Ah, I grow old, I grow old - I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Do I dare to eat a peach? Will we ever see the likes of Arthur Ashe or Margaret Court again?

Peter
 

 !!!...not sure what to say

[Peter Pallotta]

Perfect just the way it is, friend!

Hope all is well

Peter

[JC Jones]

It was so much more fun to watch tennis players berate the umpires when it was Jimmy Connors and Patrick McEnroe. 

Patrick was well behaved.  I think you mean Johnny Mac.

You're right; Patrick came to mind first because I've been watching a lot of the coverage the last two weeks.

Although I think her behavior was over the top it does not compare to what JMac, Connors and Nastase used to do to the chair umpires.

I wonder what made their behavior more tolerable for the viewers....

[JESII]

Why do you think it was?

[Chris DeNigris]

While I agree that a few tennis players cross the line with abuse, you can't evenly compare a tennis player's relationship with the "official" to any other sport...most certainly golf. Especially true in years past before the super slo mo replays.

The amount of control the linesman and chair umpire have over the match (key points)...and the difficulty in making line calls at the speeds the pros play...is totally unique in sports officiating. Nothing else that I can think of that comes close. And since the player often has a different point of view (literally) it just adds to the potential for testy confrontations...

Johnny Mac was easily my favorite tennis player to watch back then- mostly because of his style of play- but I admit to cringing many times when he would go on one of his tirades...

[Dale Jackson]

Bob, as the eminent TEP indicated to you, a player may be disqualified for abuse to an official under Rule 33-7.  As an experienced official, I can tell you that in terms of behaviour on the course, there is nothing I will tolerate less than abuse towards officials or volunteers.  I will allow considerable leeway if the player's reaction is directed towards himself/herself but not if it is directed outward.

The game of golf deserves far better than petulant and abusive temper tantrums.  Fortunately, it is my experience that such behavior is extremely rare.

[Niall C]

Having been up close to a lot of these guys at various Opens/Scottish Opens etc, I have heard a lot more industrial strength language than I ever heard playing rugby for instance. As Dale suggests however almost all of it was in self admonishment rather than abusing someone else.

I have however heard of a prominent European Tour player who is now a commentator, who in the Open shouted abuse at a marshall and received only a fine. The player in question was lucky that the marshall didn't make it public and left it to the officials to sort out. In my view the £5,000 fine he got was a nonsense.

Niall

[Mike_Clayton]

Naill

Howard Clark would never abuse a marshall like that. Surely not!

Bob,

Sounds like Hobday. Legend.

[David_Tepper]

Back in the 1950's, Pancho Gonzalez was never shy about letting the referees know what he thought about their calls. Legend has it he could play tennis "angry" better than just about anyone in the history of the game.

[Peter Sayegh]

WHY would a golfer berate an official? How many pros admit some misunderstanding of the rules? How many times have we seen pros call an official over for an explanation AND options? How often have we heard the rules are there to protect/aid the player?
I couldn't imagine a golfer cursing an official-the situation, maybe. Never seen an instance of it though I'm sure it has happened.

I don't root for Serena but the call was horrible; the reaction worse. I, too, loved Johnny Mac, but he was the genesis of the term "tennis brat." Never heard it applied to any other athlete.