Masters makes right call in penalizing, but not DQing, Tiger Woods

Masters makes right call in penalizing, but not DQing, Tiger Woods











Dan Wetzel April 13, 2013 11:49 AMYahoo Sports






View gallery.

Tiger Woods takes a drop at the 15th hole during Round 2 of the Masters. (AP)AUGUSTA, Ga. – Walking down the front veranda of the Augusta National clubhouse, Ernie Els was like everyone else here on a glorious Saturday morning, looking for the latest on Tiger Woods and his disputed drop on the 15th hole Friday.



As the sun rose over the famed course, most people expected Woods to be disqualified after he violated a drop rule on the 15th and then signed what turned out to be an inaccurate scorecard.

Instead, the Masters assessed him a two-shot penalty, allowing him to continue to play because tournament officials originally ruled the drop was fine. At that moment, however, Els was told that the ruling was based on intent. Confusion reigned everywhere.

"Did they change the rule?" Els, a four-time major championship winner, asked.

When offered further clarification, Els just broke into a smile, waved his hands in the air to signify "whatever" and walked off, chuckling.

[Masters 2013 leaderboard: See how Tiger Woods and others are doing]

And that about summed it up, a lot of wonder over how Woods survived, yet acceptance that this, considering it involved Tiger, wasn't that surprising.

The truth is, Saturday morning's decision was both fair and proper because while Woods may have erred on Friday, so too did tournament officials when they failed to discuss the drop with Tiger (and thus accurately assessed a penalty in real time) before he signed what he believed to be a correct scorecard. In fact, tournament officials weren't even aware that he'd made an illegal drop.

So on Saturday, the Masters decided against throwing the player out of the tournament for their own failed and rushed investigation into the original drop.





View gallery.While this is certain to create waves of controversy and cries of favoritism, it was the proper course of action.



It starts with Tiger's approach shot on 15 hitting the flag and bouncing back into the water. From there, Tiger had three options: drop a ball in the designated drop area, go back to the original spot where he hit or put the ball in direct line with where it entered the water.

He did none of those precisely, going a couple of yards back from the original spot but at a slightly different angle. A television viewer alerted the tournament about the discrepancy. An initial video review of the shot by officials, however, determined no violation.

"At that moment and based on that evidence, the Committee determined he had complied with the rules," the tournament stated.

Woods eventually finished his round and signed his scorecard. In subsequent media interviews, however, Tiger explained that he purposefully took his drop "two yards further back" from the original shot.

That acknowledgement, the tournament said, changed the decision-making process.

"After he signed his scorecard, and in a television interview subsequent to the round, the player stated that he had played further from the point than where he had played his third shot. Such action would constitute playing from the wrong place.

"The subsequent information provided by the player's interview after he had competed play warranted further review and discussion with him [Saturday] morning.

"After meeting with the player, it was determined that he had violated Rule 26, and was assessed a two-stroke penalty."

[Related: Penalty against Tianlang Guan at Masters was uncalled for]

However, the Masters decided he should not be disqualified for signing an inaccurate scorecard because the tournament previously ruled inaccurately on the drop and he shouldn't be punished for it.

"The penalty of disqualification was waved by the Committee under Rule 33 as the committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player's round."

In essence, they cut him a huge break. And it's a fair one. While Tiger made a mistake with his drop, none of his comments say that he was knowingly breaking the rules.

There are some who are calling for Woods to disqualify himself, based on the culture of golf. They are saying that regardless of intent, he did, indeed, sign an inaccurate scorecard even if neither he nor tournament officials determined it until some 16 hours after the fact.

"I think he should [withdraw]," David Duvall wrote on Twitter. "He took a drop to gain an advantage."

That would be a magnanimous gesture in the strictest sense of the rules, but is that really what the spirit of the rule was meant to enforce?

Indeed, the very limited competitive advantage gained by a slight location improvement on a fairly easy chip on Friday wouldn't be something someone like Tiger would ever risk penalty strokes to obtain.

Woods made a mistake, but it's the Masters that blew it.

Tournament officials should have asked Woods to explain his drop immediately after the round and before he signed his scorecard. If Tiger had been as forthcoming as he was in media interviews, then the penalty would've been properly assessed prior to the signing of the card.

Instead they didn't bother and went solely with video review. The scorecard controversy was created because the tournament didn't follow protocol.

This could have been nipped in the bud. Instead it exploded into a major controversy, one that left even former champions shaking their head and simply not caring how Tiger Woods managed to stay in the field after signing an inaccurate scorecard, because no explanation is going to satisfy everyone.

Besides, it was a nice day and there was golf to be played.

USGA rule regarding Tiger Woods' ball drop

USGA rule regarding Tiger Woods' ball drop











PGA.COM April 13, 2013 12:57 PM


AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) -- U.S. Golf Association rules applied by Augusta National Golf Club in assessing Tiger Woods a two-stroke penalty for an illegal drop in Friday's second round.


THE ISSUE

26-1. Relief For Ball In Water Hazard

It is a question of fact whether a ball that has not been found after having been struck toward a water hazard is in the hazard. In the absence of knowledge or virtual certainty that a ball struck toward a water hazard, but not found, is in the hazard, the player must proceed under Rule 27-1.

If a ball is found in a water hazard or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke:

a. Proceed under the stroke and distance provision of Rule 27-1 by playing a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or

b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or

c. As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.

When proceeding under this Rule, the player may lift and clean his ball or substitute a ball.

THE DECISION

33-7. Disqualification Penalty; Committee Discretion

A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted.

Any penalty less than disqualification must not be waived or modified.

If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule.

THE RATIONALE

33-7/4.5. Competitor Unaware of Penalty Returns Wrong Score; Whether Waiving or Modifying Disqualification Penalty Justified

Q. A competitor returns his score card. It later transpires that the score for one hole is lower than actually taken due to his failure to include a penalty stroke(s) which he did not know he had incurred. The error is discovered before the competition has closed.

Would the Committee be justified, under Rule 33-7, in waiving or modifying the penalty of disqualification prescribed in Rule 6-6d?

--Generally, the disqualification prescribed by Rule 6-6d must not be waived or modified.

However, if the Committee is satisfied that the competitor could not reasonably have known or discovered the facts resulting in his breach of the Rules, it would be justified under Rule 33-7 in waiving the disqualification penalty prescribed by Rule 6-6d. The penalty stroke(s) associated with the breach would, however, be applied to the hole where the breach occurred.

For example, in the following scenarios, the Committee would be justified in waiving the disqualification penalty:

-- A competitor makes a short chip from the greenside rough. At the time, he and his fellow-competitors have no reason to suspect that the competitor has double-hit his ball in breach of Rule 14-4. After the competitor has signed and returned his score card, a close-up, super-slow-motion video replay reveals that the competitor struck his ball twice during the course of the stroke. In these circumstances, it would be appropriate for the Committee to waive the disqualification penalty and apply the one-stroke penalty under Rule 14-4 to the competitor's score at the hole in question.

-- After a competitor has signed and returned his score card, it becomes known, through the use of a high-definition video replay, that the competitor unknowingly touched a few grains of sand with his club at the top of his backswing on a wall of the bunker. The touching of the sand was so light that, at the time, it was reasonable for the competitor to have been unaware that he had breached Rule 13-4. It would be appropriate for the Committee to waive the disqualification penalty and apply the two-stroke penalty to the competitor's score at the hole in question.

-- A competitor moves his ball on the putting green with his finger in the act of removing his ball-marker. The competitor sees the ball move slightly forward but is certain that it has returned to the original spot, and he plays the ball as it lies. After the competitor signs and returns his score card, video footage is brought to the attention of the Committee that reveals that the ball did not precisely return to its original spot. When questioned by the Committee, the competitor cites the fact that the position of the logo on the ball appeared to be in exactly the same position as it was when he replaced the ball and this was the reason for him believing that the ball returned to the original spot. As it was reasonable in these circumstances for the competitor to have no doubt that the ball had returned to the original spot, and because the competitor could not himself have reasonably discovered otherwise prior to signing and returning his score card, it would be appropriate for the Committee to waive the disqualification penalty. The two-stroke penalty under Rule 20-3a for playing from a wrong place would, however, be applied to the competitor's score at the hole in question.

A Committee would not be justified under Rule 33-7 in waiving or modifying the disqualification penalty prescribed in Rule 6-6d if the competitor's failure to include the penalty stroke(s) was a result of either ignorance of the Rules or of facts that the competitor could have reasonably discovered prior to signing and returning his score card.

For example, in the following scenarios, the Committee would not be justified in waiving or modifying the disqualification penalty:

-- As a competitor's ball is in motion, he moves several loose impediments in the area in which the ball will likely come to rest. Unaware that this action is a breach of Rule 23-1, the competitor fails to include the two-stroke penalty in his score for the hole. As the competitor was aware of the facts that resulted in his breaching the Rules, he should be disqualified under Rule 6-6d for failing to include the two-stroke penalty under Rule 23-1.

-- A competitor's ball lies in a water hazard. In making his backswing for the stroke, the competitor is aware that his club touched a branch in the hazard. Not realizing at the time that the branch was detached, the competitor did not include the two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 13-4 in his score for the hole. As the competitor could have reasonably determined the status of the branch prior to signing and returning his score card, the competitor should be disqualified under Rule 6-6d for failing to include the two-stroke penalty under Rule 13-4. (Revised)

©2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.

From the couch: TV viewer plays rules official in penalizing Tiger Woods

From the couch: TV viewer plays rules official in penalizing Tiger Woods











Dan Wetzel April 13, 2013 2:27 PMYahoo Sports






View gallery.

Tiger Woods takes a drop on the 15th hole after his ball went into the water. (AP)AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods was eventually assessed a two-stroke penalty, and nearly thrown out of the Masters on Saturday because a television viewer spotted him making an illegal drop on the 15th hole of Friday's round and alerted the tournament.



Over the next 16 hours, officials took it from there, eventually ruling Woods should be penalized for dropping his ball two yards from behind its original location after a chip wound up in a pond. The ruling moved Woods' score from 3-under to 1-under heading into Saturday's round. No official saw the error in real time and if it hadn't been for the viewer there likely would've been no penalty or controversy.

"After being prompted by a television viewer, the Rules Committee reviewed a video of the shot," the Masters said in a statement.

[Masters 2013 leaderboard: See how Tiger Woods and others are doing]

Which begs a simple question, how does some guy on his couch advise the Masters, played at Augusta National – merely one of the most exclusive clubs in the world and host of one of the sport's grandest championships – that Tiger Woods just screwed up?





View gallery.

Tiger Woods talks with an official during the third round of the Masters. (USAT Sports)"You just call Augusta National and ask for the scoring officials," a receptionist in the press building told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday.



So the guy just called and got patched through to the actual scoring officials?

"They may have called him back, but we don't comment on that or any of the specifics of the investigation," she said.

The Masters would not reveal who the caller was, where the call came from or any other detail.

"We get dozens of these calls every Masters," Fred Ridley, Masters committee chairman, explained Saturday morning. "You don't hear about them because most of them do not amount to anything. … This is really a fairly normal occurrence during the tournament."

[Related: Masters makes right call in cutting Tiger Woods a break]

"I think that's just the time that we live in," he continued. "It's sort of the instant replay in football or baseball. These players are under a microscope, particularly Tiger. There are a lot of people out there that know a lot about the rules, think they know a lot about the rules."

While this sort of thing doesn't happen often, it does happen – for years, actually:

• Following the first round of the 2011 Tournament of Champions, a viewer called in a violation by Camilo Villegas. In that instance, Villegas swatted away a few blades of grass while his ball was still moving. A TV viewer noticed it, called it in and Villegas was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

• Just a few weeks later, a viewer notified European tournament officials that Padraig Harrington's ball moved when he marked it on the green. Harrington didn't assess himself a penalty and was disqualified when he signed an incorrect scorecard.

• And way back in the 1987 Andy Williams Open, viewers notified officials that Craig Stadler had placed a towel underneath his knees while playing in dewy grass. That's a penalty and Stadler was disqualified for – you guessed it – signing an inaccurate scorecard.

Just to recap, all someone has to do to report whatever violation they think may have occurred in the biggest tournament of the year is dial up Augusta National Golf Club and ask for the scoring officials?

"If you call Augusta National you will be put through to whomever you ask for," the Augusta officials said.

So there you go golf-rule hawks: (706) 667-6000.