Stop The (Call In) Madness !!

I never thought I would see the day that I agree with Tiger Woods and believe he was treated unfairly, particularly since Woods has repeatedly demonstrated his personal  belief that he exists above the rules, both on and off the course.  But the situation has now moved to ridiculous extremes.  As I posted earlier, who are these geeks that watch tournaments and call in these supposed infractions?  How do they know what number to call?  Can’t they get a life?

But now, Woods has run afoul not of a caller watching from his out-of-bounds-cave, but by a videographer working for the PGA itself!  As reported by the Associate Press last Friday on Golf.com:

Tiger Woods was involved in another rules violation Friday in the BMW Championship, this time getting the two-shot penalty before he left the golf course.

Video evidence indicated that his golf ball moved ever so slightly as Woods was removing a twig from an area under the trees behind the first green at Conway Farms. What made this case unusual is that the video was taken by a videographer working for PGA Tour Entertainment, and the infraction was noticed by someone editing the film.

Slugger White, vice president of competition at the PGA Tour, stopped Woods before he signed for a 70. Woods didn't believe the ball moved out of its position, and White said the world's No. 1 player still wasn't convinced after watching the video.

"He said he didn't feel he could see that," White said. "I felt like that was OK, but the ball did move."

Unlike the incident at the Masters, a television viewer did not call in the possible infraction. White said a freelance camera man working for the tour captured it on video. An editor at headquarters going over the footage thought there was movement of the ball and notified the PGA Tour.

The film was sent over to tour officials on site at Conway Farms, and it was reviewed at the tournament before bringing in Woods for consultation.

The movement was slight, though it appears to have moved down when Woods touches a small branch to the right of the golf ball, and it doesn't appear to return to its original position. White said Woods could not have seen that from his position looking down at the top of the ball.

Woods accepted his two-shot penalty at the Masters when he became aware of his bad drop. Friday was different. Even after looking at the video, Woods wasn't convinced the ball moved from its position.

"He knew there was movement there, but it's like (he) was very adamant that it oscillated - it stayed there," White said. "But this video was at the site, and the ball did in fact move."  (Check out the video here.)  

Perhaps this is overreaction by rules officials to their generous application of Rule 33-7 at this year’s Masters tournament, or to Woods’ history of liberal ball drops, such as his notorious drop in the TPC earlier this year, or simply to his condescending personality in general, but come on!  If you need the Hubble Telescope to

I see it!  Yes, his ball moved, I think

decide whether a ball has moved or not, then the time has come to stop the madness and to bar all forms of outside callers and third party communications.  Golf has always been a “gentleman’s (or gentlewoman’s) game”.  Let’s keep it that way. 

Perhaps Woods’ behavior last Friday was a technical violation of the rules.  But did Eldrick really gain an advantage in that situation?  After the alleged violation, Woods duffed his ball 10 feet and then scored a six on the hole anyway.  And two more strokes were added on because of a PGA videographer zeroing in with a telescopic lens to watch Woods’ ball as he moved a twig in the wooded, dense underbrush ?  Watch here, if you haven’t seen it already.  Putting aside the fact that no other golfer in the tournament was subject to this type of scrutiny, are we going to allow technology to destroy the game of golf even further than it already has, with players using souped up clubs to hit souped up balls farther than the courses can hold them?    It’s bad enough that technology has destroyed the challenge of the sport for professional golfers, are we now going to let technology alter the fundamental code of the game as well?  Stop the madness!

Even the PGA seems to have gotten the idea, if Commissioner Tim Finchem's "difficult and awkward" quote  is to be believed.  See his quotes here.  If it means changing the rules which  currently require the tournament officials to consider the content of calls about possible rules violation, then change the rules.  PGA officials must not oscillate; there must be significant movement to change the rules and bar outside parties from inserting themselves in the results of the tournament.

Check out PGA Rules Decision 18/2, which states as follows:

Ball Oscillates During Address

Q.In addressing the ball, a player accidentally causes the ball to oscillate, but it returns to its original position. Has the ball "moved"?

A.No.

So oscillate all you want, but don’t let that ball move. Absolutely ridiculous.  Stop the madness, now.  To quote the great American composers George and Ira Gershin. Let’s call the whole thing off!!

You say tomato, I say tomahto
You eat potato and I eat potahto
Tomato, tomahto, potato, potahto
Let's call the whole thing off

You say oscillation, I say it’s movement
You say it’s movement and I say oscillation
Oscillation, no, movement; movement, no, oscillation
Let's call the whole thing off.

_AMDG^TM

© 2012-13 R.E. Kelly