Dumbest shot, worst break, and gutsiest putt I've ever seen from a leader

[Tommy Williamsen]

SO Rickie chips into the water, makes his drop. It rolls into the water, pitches up and makes a 12 footer for seven.

[Joe Bausch]

For those that don’t have 20:0.5 vision:

SO Rickie chips into the water, makes his drop. It rolls into the water, pitches up and makes a 12 footer for seven.

[David_Tepper]

SO Rickie chips into the water, makes his drop. It rolls into the water, pitches up and makes a 12 footer for seven.

To clarify further: Fowler's drop was on a steep down slope. After dropping the ball, it comes to rest (and is in play). Fowler walks away from the ball and up to survey the green. While he is up there and has his back to the ball, the ball rolls from where it was at rest and into the water.

Fowler has to drop again (incurring a penalty stroke). I was very surprised to see Fowler again walk up to the green after his second drop, running the risk of his ball again rolling back into the water. I thought Fowler would have played his pitch shot right away.

But he made a nice pitch and putt to save himself another stroke. 

[Tommy Williamsen]

Sorry about that. I notice that periodically my posts get super small. Rickie is on the 18th tee with a two shot lead. Good for him.

[Dan Kelly]

It was a 17-footer x—after making a 30-foot par putt on 3.


Never a dell moment with Rickie.

[Tommy Williamsen]

He showed me a lot today. He could have packed it in but never pouted, cussed, or screamed. He dug deep and played the last five holes two under.

[Marty Bonnar]

Paraphrasing, I think what Tommy’s actually meaning to say, is that, from an architectural standpoint, a slope covered in wet grass which can’t hold a stationary ball is a piece of (expletive deleted) design.
You’re welcome,
F.

[Jim Nugent]

Paraphrasing, I think what Tommy’s actually meaning to say, is that, from an architectural standpoint, a slope covered in wet grass which can’t hold a stationary ball is a piece of (expletive deleted) design.
You’re welcome,
F.

I think it's a terrible place to take a drop. 

[David_Tepper]

"I think it's a terrible place to take a drop."


Jim N. -

The TV announcers certainly raised the possibility of Fowler dropping in front of the green, from where he hit his chip shot.  It didn't look like Fowler or his caddy were considering that option at all.

DT


 

[jeffwarne]

The "chip" shot was very well struck-I don't think for a moment Fowler thought  it was too far-until it was.
It skidded on the wet turf, didn't take the spin, and trickled off the green. missing the bunker by an inch.
He obviously didn't want that shot again, knowing he would leave it very short making a certain 6.
Turns out that would've been better than what turned into a good 7:).


Amazing how uninformed Roger Maltbie's calculation was, counting the "roll away" as a stroke.-calling it an 8-repeatedly
Also amazing to me Rickie did not seek help from an official initiallyf or the drop/place(kudos to him), and more amazingly was how long it it took for an official to be found considering they were the final group of leaders.


Good for Fowler-well done

[Wade Whitehead]

Fowler has played the ProV1 since his amateur days.  He switched to a new ball this week.

I think he hit the pitch shot exactly as he intended and it didn't check as he expected.  Could have been the wet ground, but I think he knew he couldn't have hit it better (which is why he dropped on the other side of the green).


I really think the ball change made a difference on that shot.

It was incredible to listen, as the entire announcing crew had not idea what the rule is for a ball that rolls into a hazard on its own.  A group of former players, analysts, rules experts, and producers decided he had made an eight, when he actually made seven.

WW

[Sean_A]

I saw this happen to Montgomery several years ago when a tournament was still played at Oxfordshire.  Question, if Fowler leaves his marker in the ground after taking the drop and the ball then rolls back into the water...is that a penalty drop?  My gut tells me the ball isn't in play until the marker is lifted...no?

Ciao

[Tommy Williamsen]

I told my wife that Rickie needed to be careful because I thought the shot would skip a bit on the wet green. If he had hit it ten minutes earlier he would have been stoney.

[Pete_Pittock]

I saw this happen to Montgomery several years ago when a tournament was still played at Oxfordshire.  Question, if Fowler leaves his marker in the ground after taking the drop and the ball then rolls back into the water...is that a penalty drop?  My gut tells me the ball isn't in play until the marker is lifted...no?

Ciao

Sean  1) since he dropped the ball I doubt that there would be need for a ball marker; and
          2) if a the ball has been replaced it is in play, even if the marker has not been removed.

[Jim Lipstate]

Many drops after balls enter a penalty area are on rather severe slopes. Perhaps a decision or rule change is in order allowing for a redrop or placement of the ball if after initially being at rest it then rolls back into the penalty area prior to the ball being addressed with intent to swing. I don’t think a double penalty is in keeping with equity of the situation. Glad Fowler was able to overcome his poor fortune.

[JESII]

It was amazing to watch...although I'd suggest the thread title might include a bit of hyperbole. It was after all only the 11th hole of the Wasted Open. Not exactly historic stuff here...but totally bizarre to watch from the pitch shot on through the putt.


Happy to see him knuckle up and close the deal...surprising to see Grace buckle with the lead the way he did on 17 and 18...

[Chris Roselle]

I wonder if people were this up in arms, about a rule that has been on the books for some time, when this same thing happened to Thomas Level back in the World Cup...my guess is probably not


http://www.usga.org/videos/2013/03/05/levet-s-ball-hits-green-and-bounces-into-water-2203342749001.html

[Kalen Braley]

While the drop spot was steep, it stayed in place for nearly a minute as I recall.

If I had to guess, a rain drop probably hit the ball and disturbed it just enough to get it rolling.

P.S. It also seems like a rule change would be in order here as Rickie nor his caddie were anywhere near it when it moved.

[David_Tepper]

See it all here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Svz3nHOw0

[Pete_Pittock]

No need for a rule change. Maybe the committee could add a drop circle or reconsider where they set down the hazard line, or don't cut the grass that short.


Replay from the previous spot. If dropping on a slope down to water, do your reconnoitering before dropping and cut your routine time down,

[Kalen Braley]

Pete,

Whats the specific rule here, you're a rules maven right?  Doesn't this same rule say that if a squirrel or bird steals your ball and it ends up in the water or off course, you would also have to take a one stroke penalty and drop?

If so, I would think its these kinds of things the rules bodies would want to have lee way on, seems punitive to punish the players for that, especially when its totally out of thier control.  Or was this one applied differently because he dropped it there?

[Jon McSweeny]

Question for the folks who actually know the rules, could Ricky have had his caddie stand behind the ball in order to stop it if it began to roll?

Haven't had a chance to dig into this one, but ultimately, the issue is where it ended up after it rolled from its previous spot. Could a player use his caddy (or lay down a piece of equipment) to insure that if the ball started rolling, it wouldn't end up back in the haz, er, penalty area?

My first thought is obviously no, but since the ball is moving "on its own" and not struck by the player in this example, I'm wondering if there was a permissible way to make sure the ball simply stayed out of the hazard if it started to roll.

[Kalen Braley]

Meanwhile....across the pond..


https://www.sbnation.com/golf/2019/2/4/18210222/sergio-garcia-video-bunker-rage-european-tour-suspension

[Thomas Dai]

I can’t help but reckon that if such a situation as Ricky Fowler’s occurred in amateur club golf practically no one would know what the correct outcome viz the rules should be. Indeed if playing with mates I reckon there’d be quite a bit of laughter followed by a free re-placement with maybe some bar chat afterwards. Oh well, it’s going to give social media, golf magazines etc something to pen comments about. And well done to RF for holding things together in the circumstances and ultimately still winning the tournament.



As to the Sergio incident, strange that no photos seem to have seen the light of day of the alledged 5 instances of  damage to the greens that were apparently reported to the tour authorities by the players in the group playing behind Sergio.


Atb

[Mike_Clayton]

We've all got short memories. Jean Van de Velde's 8 footer for 7 to tie the 99 Open - after the 'dumb' second and the horrendous bounce off the grandstand and then the bricks on the edge of the burn back into a brutal lie on the opposite side of the burn.