I am hesitant to weigh in, but what the heck, it’s pouring here at my course.
1. Mike Young is 1000% correct--The LPGA and the Committee in charge of this particular championship can play by whatever set of rules they wish. They can also choose to enforce or not enforce whatever rule or rules they wish. It would be chaos but they can do it.
The PGA and LPGA don’t play by every rule anyway. For example, the rules of golf allow you to hit practice putts after finishing a hole—the PGA and LPGA prohibit this. The rules allow you to tee off each hole with a different brand of ball which the PGA and LPGA prohibit. The rules prohibit “undue delay” and by most anyone’s standards, that is never called—kinda like traveling in basketball I guess. Hell, a whole new kind of obstruction—temporary immovable obstructions were invented to give “line of play” relief.
2. I am not sure what some of you would have expected once this Committee of the LPGA decided to play a championship by the Rules of the USGA and R & A. Are people really suggesting you change the rules during the competition? How fair would that be? Again, to be clear—the LPGA Committee could have absolutely ignored the evidence. What could the USGA/R & A “do” about it—nothing. If asked their opinion on the matter they will give it—that’s it.
3. For those who want a “time limit” in this case, there is one—when the competition is over. If this breach was discovered after they gave Lexi the trophy, no penalty could be applied unless Lexi admitted that she knew she was in breach of a rule and simply said “so what”—she would literally have to admit to cheating and then, yes, the committee should go grab the trophy from her. I say “should” because as I pointed out earlier, the committee can do whatever the hell it wants to.
4. The reason for the four stroke penalty was to keep from having to DQ a player. This was a rules change to be “fairer”.
5. Does anyone here think Lexi would have preferred to win and THEN have this obvious breach pointed out? She comes out far better in the long run and the good thing is everyone did what they were “supposed” to do.
6. If your problem is with the rules, don’t play by them. Oh wait, 99.99% of you don’t anyway.
7. If you think the rule allowing/requiring the Committee to act on all information presented to them (TV call ins too) is bad, what is the solution? What if the video shows a player clearly and obviously cheating? What about situations where the video evidence can exonerate a player? Should video evidence be used if it can overturn a penalty given in error even if it is the next day?
8. Those that think it’s not “fair” that TV groups get more scrutiny what is that solution? To be fair should large galleries not be able to search for golf balls? How many lost balls did Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods have in their careers? Was it fair that large galleries sometimes helped deflect their balls back into play? Is it fair that a fat golfer can draw casual water easier than a skinny golfer?
9. Just because there is an official in every group does not mean breaches of this sort are going to be caught. Do any of you know how close an official would have to be to see infractions like that? The players already hate the officials anyway and want us as far away from their sight-lines as possible. We are there to assist when they have questions and help prevent penalties. We are not there to “hover” and/or look for penalties.
10. No doubt the biggest area where players breach the rules is on the greens—when their balls end up in a slight depression or behind a spike mark they will often only need to slide the ball ½ and inch or so to get away from the problem. That is what I would describe as “cheating”—a player intentionally trying to gain an advantage whereas a breach can be by accident.
I am not saying that is what happened in the Lexi situation at all as I can’t know what is in her heart or mind. But since we can’t know that and should not try and guess it, we have to go on a player’s actions and here the ball was not put back in the same place. She clearly breached the rule.
For those who say it was insignificant, on a one-foot putt, an inch one way or another is significant. If you don’t think so you have not played high level golf or been around world class players. They expect perfect, billiard top like conditions and hate it—hate it, if anything like a scuff, depression or spike mark is in their way. They feel ENTITLED to perfect conditions to putt on. Again, I am not speaking to Lexi’s intent just saying that accidental or not, on smooth, fast greens, moving a ball away from an imperfection will affect the roll.
11. All you guys saying this hurts “grow the game”—UGH. Really? That is just a dumb statement. No one picks up or quits golf based on how they feel about the rules. Again, 99% of all players and all rounds are not played by the rules to begin with. Most groups like having some beers, being outside and as long as those in their group agree to whatever way to play among themselves, they are fine.
If you think incidents like this “hurt” the game I disagree. I think it actually helps show the difference between Golf and other games where cheating is encouraged and even practiced. Being responsible for your actions and mistakes no matter when or if they are ever caught is a lesson I wish all of us would live by.
The notion that a sponsor should be ashamed that the sport they associate with holds its players to higher standards than others is silly. In fact, if I learned a sponsor demanded a ruling body ignore its own rules to get the winner they wanted, I’d avoid that company like the plague.
12. All golfers are not Bob Jones, in fact, few are or ever were. With tens of millions of dollars at stake we need to recognize that more and more golfers will cheat. Our game does not lend itself to referees like other sports in which cheating is an embedded part of the culture of the game. Football, Baseball, Soccer, Basketball….those sports have a “code” and getting away with as much as you can is how to play those games. There, referees have a job to “catch” players and if they don’t and the player gains an advantage for the team or themselves, all the better.
13. Golf has traditionally expected players to call penalties on themselves. That mostly worked though the “good old days” were not always so good and probably more players got away with more cheating back then than now (thanks to TV). Today there is the pressure of millions of dollars on the line and a new ethos whereby players feel entitled to conditions that are close to perfect so they can perform/entertain. Because of that, subtle things that are breaches of the rules are accepted now more than ever and when a player is in clear but minor violation of a rule the entertainment sports industry rushes to their defense.
14. This is heresy for a rules nerd but I live “normal” golf every day and spend time on championship golf far less often. We should bifurcate the rules and bifurcate equipment. We play nowhere near the same game as the professional and the rules should reflect that fact. Professional golf is entertainment.
15. The Committee yesterday acted correctly based on the rules they announced to the players they were going to play by at the start of the event. They could have said, “to hell with the rules” but I guarantee you, that would have resulted in a legitimate lawsuit. You can’t tell people these are the rules and later say that you changed your mind about “all” the rules, especially with millions of dollars at stake.
16. The rules specifically say that when trying to figure out what happened, testimony of those not involved with the competition (spectators and/or television footage) should be used in order to determine what, in fact, did occur. The rules also require referees to act upon violations reported to them.
17. Ignore the rules, change the rules or modify the rules to play whatever game you wish. Just tell me ahead of time so I know what game we are all supposed to play. If your answer is that we aren’t sure but will do what’s “fair”, I’ll pass.