Let’s get a few things straight:
1. Tiger Woods
cheated. And he cheated
intentionally. He admitted that he
placed his ball outside the proper drop area in order to have an easier chip
shot to the green. (Whether he did or
not is irrelevant. His admitted intent
was to give himself a better shot, whether he actually improperly dropped the
ball farther back from the hole or not
2. Woods
committed a serious breach of golf etiquette.
This determination is important for the proper application of PGA Rule
33-7.
3. The Augusta
National Golf Club acted consistently with its character in not disqualifying Woods. Every
golfer since the beginning of time (measured by the creation of the game of golf
hard by the Firth of Forth) has been disqualified for signing an incorrect
scorecard, period. However, invoking new
golf rule 33-7, the Augusta national panjandrums that rule the Masters with an
iron golf glove (see McCord, Gary – “bikini wax’) penalized Woods two strokes
but did not disqualify him.
The cowardice in this ruling is consistent with the club’s
craven treatment of minorities and women since its inception. The
irony here is that, consistent with the fundamental principle of corporate
greed (a classic oxymoron) which is the hallmark of the club and its members, a
veritable Who’s Who of corporate royalty, a minority benefits directly from the
ruling.
4. Rule 33-7
is an open-ended disgrace. The rule was created after Padraig Harrington
was disqualified because his ball moved “three dimples” worth of real estate
during a tournament in Abu Dhabi in 2010
An eagle-eyed television viewer called it in, and Harrington was
penalized and disqualified. Harsh? Apparently the rules makers thought so. Consistent
with the rules of golf then in place?
Absolutely.
Here’s Rule 33-7:
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 PGA rules define the term “Committee” as follows:
“Committee’’ is the committee in charge of the competition or, if the matter does not arise in a competition, the committee in charge of the course.
Okay, tell me what “committee” at Augusta National decided
to invoke the “exceptional individual cases” provision of Rule 33-7. While you’re at it, define “exceptional
individual cases.” One case would appear
to be the “three-dimple” situation. The
ball moves a tiny bit at address, you’re okay.
The second exceptional individual case appears to be the “wrong drop by
the most important and popular player in the world, whose absence from the tournament
in midstream would cause TV ratings to plummet, much to the dismay of our
sponsors.” So far, a rather limited
universe exists for the application of this extremely vague rule. Let’s keep it that way for the good of the
game.
5. Roberto De
Vicenzo is spinning in his grave.
6. Cheaters never prosper, or perhaps more in
keeping with the modern version, karma is a bitch. It would appear the golf gods notice all, on
and off the course. Tiger’s recent Nike ad that “Winning takes
care of everything” exhibits the kind of hubris that the golf gods typically find
distasteful. Throw in Tiger’s
extramarital exploits and Jack’s majors record looks safer every day.
7. Finally, we need to know who these callers are.
Is it the same guy, sitting in his mancave (or “jar”) with a wall of equipment
in front of him, a paranoid wizard of spy technology like Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State, here, monitoring every second of every tournament on the Golf Channel and beyond? Is it a club, with secret handshakes, like
the Neighborhood Patrol, whose members take turns monitoring each tournament on
a rotating basis so that no illegal act is missed? And how do you know what number to call? Is there a PGA Tournament hotline, like Harrison
Ford calling the White House in Air Force One?
I think the number to call is 1-800-Get- A-Life, but I could be mistaken.
So many questions, so little time. But it was rewarding to see the golf gods frown
on Tiger’s attempt to win yet another major, this time in a very unusual
way. Perhaps he’ll think twice about
breaking the rules of golf in the future.
No Cheating Allowed! |
AMDG
©
R.E. Kelly 2012-2021
No comments:
Post a Comment