PGA Tour: HE'S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Masters: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Martin Laird of course; you didn't think I was talking about the guy who's on the cover of every golf magazine and even some others did you? Or even that young Northern Irishman we've heard so much about?

No, Martin Laird's fantastic final round last Sunday in San Antonio not only stuck two fingers through the Ballwasher who doubted his resolve after a dismal nine-month spell. But also earned a ticket to Augusta National and finds himself in the "long shot, stranger things have happened, but not many" category for The Masters. More on that later.

2).The TPC San Antonio, ("Greg Norman designs golf courses to test professional golfers, not to please professional golfers," said Padraig Harrington), certainly looked much easier on the eye than in years past and it seemed that most pros who turned up enjoyed their week; some will hopefully even be back.
But play was dreadfully slow and one young American is just another guilty party who I hadn't spotted before. Daniel Summerhays, good lord, how long does it take you to hit the golf ball? Summerhays seemed to turn to Winterhays during some of his pre-shot routines.

3).And, while our thoughts turn to Magnolia Drive, our annual word in tribute to the Welshman from Bangor, Errie Ball, who played in the first Masters and is still alive today, hopefully to tell the tale, at 102.

4).Billy Payne has two new members this year, one who's just gone up one rung, presumably, on the list of the World's most evil women, the other who got her invite the old-fashioned way, thru' connections. (Have a personal interest in Darla Moore's richly endowed University of South Carolina's Moore School Of Business, so pleased to see her being honoured with a membership.)

5).With McIlroy and Woods striking form, I'd say this Masters, more than most, is almost certain to go to a favourite if, not necessarily, THE favourite. So let's look at some long shots and the owgr Top 25 for a form guide, with all the usual biases of course:

"Long shots, stranger things have happened, but not many":

#269: Angel Cabrera: You may think there's more chance of him attending Thatcher's funeral but, hey, this man hasn't forgotten how to play the game, he's physically fitter, has shown glimpses of form, and knows how to win - and how many can say that?

#56: Well, Martin Laird certainly can! 20th first time around Augusta, 50-something last year, but if he can putt like last week who knows? He hits the ball perfectly for the course, but it will be all about course management and his short game for Martin. The Laird of San Antonio with 22 Sunday putts, or the Laird of Florida when he took eight 3-putts each at Bay Hill and Tampa?

#41: Henrik Stenson: Eccentric as ever but plenty long enough and can putt well. On my e.w. list at 75/1.

#38: Scott Piercy: Thinks he's the best golfer the world has ever seen. Still seething at the perceived injustice of not being interviewed on TV after his demolition of Luke Donald at the MatchPlay. The favourite, in his eyes anyway, and don't you dare discount his chances!

6).21 - 25:
#25: Furyk: Planning to attack Augusta with two drivers but hasn't done better than 4th here and not likely to this week.

#24: Els: Terrible year so far, seems to have lost confidence just when he needs it most.

#23: Watney: Jekyll and Hyde, Would love to see him take the proverbial next step but don't see it this week.

#22: Hanson: 3rd last year but in much better form coming in than this year's version. Wouldn't count him out completely, top ten material.

#21: Mahan: A couple of Masters' top tens under his belt, but something's been missing this past year and I can't see him finding it at Augusta.

7).16 - 20:
#20: Simpson: His US Open win apart, hasn't really had that great a last 18 months. Can't see it improving here.

#19: Dustin Johnson: Augusta National is made for Dustin - no par 5's here for him, but nothing inside the Top 30 here yet, and his dodgy short game will frustrate him again this week.

#18: Dufner: Good start a year ago but faded. If his Dufnering pic's are anything to go by he's still asleep.

#17: McDowell: Top 15 material, doesn't fancy some of the tee shots here and, until he does, can't see him contending.

#16: Garcia: This place frustrates the sh1t out of him. Shame, might get close, but not close enough.

8).11 - 15:
#15: Schwartzel: 2011 winner and no reason to think he can't win another one. Except none of the five South African Major (and Players) winners these past eight years have won since on the PGA Tour. Top three candidate.

#14: Bubba Watson: It's all about his emotions - I fancy a left-hander but perhaps not this one.

#13: Westwood: Nope, not this year, Lee, not until your short game and your long game are on the same page. But, if he can somehow be -10 on the par fives, he'll be right there. Nah.

#12: Poulter: Would love to see Poults win a Biggie but reckon Augusta National is too long for him, too much pressure on his mid and long irons. Top 15 though.

#11: Bradley: Lots of top tens this year and may score another one. Plenty long enough but can't see that short game winning a Green Jacket.

9).6 - 10:
#10: Kuchar: 3rd last year, plods along with that inane-looking, sh1t-eating grin of his and, hey presto, he's right there. Top 5 perhaps, but Green Jacket? Perhaps not, e.w. value though at 33/1 or 40's.

#9: Mickelson: My choice last year and should've, would've and certainly could've . . . . Those triple bogeys did him in. My idea of the man to beat, not scared to win and probably doesn't want it so manically much as Number One.

#8: Stricker: Says he's "still trying to figure out Augusta". I bracket him with Poults, his long game puts too much pressure on his world-class short game; top 20 probable but can't see him in the shake-up.

#7: Scott: No form to speak of this season; plays a bizarre schedule and who knows if he's up for this? Not worth the risk.

#6: Oosthuizen: Difficult for me to separate the two South African Kings: He was devastated by last year's play-off defeat, but can he bounce back? Sh1t or bust I'd think - at his best a sure-fire contender.

10).1 - 5:
#5: Snedeker: Has been out injured for most of the past two months, no cuts made since his early season super form. Certainly has the game, but feel he's still slightly under-cooked for this week. The Sneds of the past year a certain Major winner - just not this week.

#4: Donald: No form for ages. The 2011 model Luke would be a contender anywhere, but not the short-and-crooked version of years ago which has made an unwelcome return - might get away with it at Hilton Head but not 150 miles up the road at Augusta.

#3: Rose: Which Justin will we see? The winner at such top courses as Aronomink and Muirfield Village, or the strutter who flatters only to deceive, but then burns up the final nine holes for a back-door podium finish? Until he can prove that he won't wilt when the heat turns up, I'd have him down as a likely top tenner, not a winner.

#2: And then there's Rory. If his confidence right now was as high as Scott Piercy's I'd ink him in to his first Green Jacket, but his driver left him a bit last Sunday and he won't be "back" until he's back. Not many would be surprised to see him win; me neither, but perhaps not this year.

#1: Tiger: The only person who can beat Tiger is Tiger, and his ambition and anxiety to earn his next Major. Until he does it, I'd bet against him and gamble that Tiger will beat Tiger. As we saw at Bay Hill, though, the old intimidation factor is back and, if he putts like he did in Orlando and hits 60% of the fairways, he'll win this. For me, I'd bet the field against him.


Can't wait though, although we'll have to put up with the unctuous, over-reverential tones of CBS - would be nice to think they'll have a commentator under the age of 50, a breath of fresh air so sorely needed, but no chance of that. The weather should have the course in perfect condition, but there's a chance of severe storms Thursday p.m. into Friday, after which the sun will shine.

I fancy Phil to win, but Bones (perhaps the only born-in-Britain winner this year?) has to keep him focussed. Reckon Louis and Charl will be right there and fancy Kuchar as best outsider, Stenson best complete long-shot.

mystiroakey wrote:of course not john- he even mentioned it in an interview that he dropped it behind- it was a bad missjudgement though- even i knew the ruling!



the point is the presedent being set that a signed card doesnt matter any more..

and the bigger issue that if anyone else had done it they may have been dqed

Just hope going forward, this "new rule" is applied like it was today.

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2013/4/13/decision-33-745-flashback-the-ra-and-the-usga-confirm-that-t.html


It seems the masters rules are not in line with the USGA and R&A's.

Bubba on course for a 54

Thought I would add this in for people looking for whats happened:

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods was assessed a two-shot penalty at the Masters Saturday for taking an illegal drop during Friday's second round.

The world's No. 1 player, who is trying to win his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship, was deemed by the Masters' Rules Committee to have taken an illegal drop on the 15th hole. He was not disqualified, however, for signing an incorrect scorecard as a result of a rule change two years ago.

The R&A and U.S. Golf Association relaxed its rules on disqualification for signing an incorrect scorecard after an incident involving Padraig Harrington in a European Tour event. A television viewer, watching coverage in high definition TV, phoned tournament officials that Harrington's ball moved ever so slightly as he addressed a putt. Harrington did not realize the ball had moved. When it was reviewed, however, officials determined the ball had moved and gave him a two-stroke penalty. Thus, Harrington was disqualified a day after the incident for signing an incorrect scorecard.

The governing bodies determined players should not be disqualified because of "facts that he or she didn't know and could not reasonably have discovered prior to returning his scorecard. Thus, stroke penalties will be added to a score retrospectively.

He signed for a 1-under-par 71, which included a 6 on the 15th hole. With the penalty, his scorecard now shows an 8 on 15 and a 73 on Friday. He will be at 1 under par overall, and five shots out of the lead.

Tournament officials waited for Woods to arrive to the course to consult with him before making their decision.

Woods, who has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, was just one shot out of the lead when he hit his third shot on the par-5 from 87 yards. The ball, however, hit the flag stick and caromed backward into a water hazard fronting the green.

From here, under Rule 26-1, Woods had three options.

He could have played his next shot from the designated drop area, which was to the left front of the water hazard. He did not choose this option.

Or he could drop the ball as far back from the original position, keeping the point where it last crossed the margin of the water between the hole and the spot on which the ball would be dropped. The ball entered the water well left of Woods' position from the fairway. It seemed Woods did not choose this option – which would have allowed him to drop on a straight line as far back as he wanted.

Or he could return to the original spot from which he played, and drop "as nearly as possible,'" from where he played the third shot.

After the round Woods said he chose to play his fifth shot from the area in which he hit his third shot. He said he wanted to go two yards back of the original divot to make sure the ball landed short of the flag.

The issue at question is whether that violates the rule stating the ball should be dropped "as nearly as possible" to the spot where it was last played.

"I went back to where I played it from, but I went 2 yards further back and I took, tried to take 2 yards off the shot of what I felt I hit," Woods said.

Woods was penalized earlier this year for taking an illegal drop. In Abu Dhabi, his first tournament of the season, Woods thought he had made the cut when he shot 73 in the second round. But he was given a two-stroke penalty form taking a free drop when his ball was embedded in sand. That was not allowed in the tournament. The two strokes pushed Woods' total to 3-over-par 147. The cut was 146.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2013/04/13/tiger-woods-assessed-2-shot-penalty-from-masters/2079725/

Exclusive footage from Augusta of Bubba's early play:

http://www.cbssports.com/golf/blog/eye-on-golf/21995895/bubba-watsons-hovercraft-golf-cart-is-pretty-amazing

Kelly Tilghman seems to be the only person who thinks Tiger is OK on this; she's probably hoping for a threesome with ET and LV.

PS: Tilghman is looking increasingly over-sozzled these days . . . . .

In a way i am kiind of glad that scott or the 3 english cant be paired with woods now!

actually scrub that out they would have allready done the pairings and they probaly wont change them

I can see Tiger withdrawing tbh........ his excuse could be a toothache.

Can anyone find any leaderboard or scoring where tiger has an 8 for the 15th yesterday? I cant.

In my opinion they have copped out here by applying a rule incorrectly. The ball did not move half a dimple and go unnoticed at the time; this was not phoned in by someone from their sofa.

Could this be Woods' "Jakarta-gate" or "scorecard-gate" moment? A controversy that will follow him around for a long time? I think if he were to DQ himself (disappointing as that maybe for the tournament, fans and himself) he would undoubtedly garner great press and the Bobby Jones sportsmanship award.

Masters official leaderboard still showing Tiger at -3 - Billy Payne in denial.

Interesting caddie merry-go-round:

Fred Couples' old mate Joe LaCava is on Tiger's bag and presumably helped his old boss by turning a blind eye on Tont's indiscretion.
While Mike Cowan and Steve Williams are at -4 and -3 respectively.

https://twitter.com/alexmiceli/status/323080231198011393/photo/1

explains it all!

(edit from Adam D - picture in spoiler tab)

Spoiler:

I dont think anyone can blame tiger for this however - I am quite concerned as why he didnt know this rule that is actually quite common knowledge to amatuers. Yet he is a pro!

I also am not sure why he wasnt questioned about this on course by his caddy or other players. I also dont understand how he wasnt questioned about this straight after he made the comment admitting fault but also clearly ignorance(which kind of takes away purposefull blame- but blame still remains) at the same time on tv..

I have no problem overriding this stupid dark age sign of card rule.. I hope this will be a good thing for golf and no one will be dqed in the future for an obvious mistake- be it ignorance or not

McLaren wrote:https://twitter.com/alexmiceli/status/323080231198011393/photo/1

explains it all!

Haha, he put them in a tough position when he admitted it because they'd already decided to let him off. (probably for TV reasons.)

Robert Lusetich ‏@RobertLusetich 1m
Tiger now will certainly not WD because his drop was reviewed AND CLEARED AS OK by Rules Committee before his round was over.

the rules commitee dont have a clue then..

Jeas they dont even know the rules of golf

sirbenson wrote:Robert Lusetich ‏@RobertLusetich 1m
Tiger now will certainly not WD because his drop was reviewed AND CLEARED AS OK by Rules Committee before his round was over.

but at least that explains that tiger cant be at fault for not signing the card correctly. And its fair game for him to play on IMO

So the penalty of disqualification was WAIVED?? I thought the dq penalty was no longer in place due to the post-Harrington rule change?

Something stinks here...

Does anyone believe they reviewed it? I certainly don't. Sky certainly were too busy falling over themselves to praise the fifth shot to question the drop, and I'd be amazed if the US coverage was any different.

Why the rules of golf continue to be as complicated as when they were first made, it is beyond me.

The whole PH thing doesnnt add up in my view.

PH didnt know what he did- Tiger admitted in ignorance what he did.. So they have either made up this whole (decided before the round was complete then later foundout they did it wrong) - or it was a clear mistake by everyone involved. which tbh does sound a bit ridiculas- it is a basic rule!

I don't know? This isn't sitting comfortably with me. I can't get past the fact that any other player and it would have been a DQ.

If tiger goes on to win from here I think there will be all kinds of Sh1tstorms.

Here is the updated LB...

Spoiler:

You'd have to feel for Gonzo today having to put up with playing with Woods in these conditions (if he decides to show up)...

golf is complicated and the rules officals are going to get alot of stick for this..

Because by the sounds if this latest develoment they dont want to change the signing of the card rule!

Red butrton starting lads !

tell a lie its 5pm

On a more positive note, today's forecast is perfect - sunny, 70's, not too breezy, dry.
Just the chance of afternoon showers Sunday.

No big numbers out there among the early groups, scoring pretty good on the whole.

There are rules of golf that the rest of the world play to then there are the "Tiger Rules" which He alone plays to - there was the incident of the lost ball on the roof of a clubhouse which for anyone else was a lost ball but they deemed that it had been removed by a cleaner or spectator or something and he got a free drop. Then there was the "loose impediment" that took three or four spectators to move... Now there's a new "Tiger's Ignorance" rule. It's not his fault he doesn't know the rules - someone else should have told him!!

I think it is easy to get all conspiracy theory about this. Tiger clearly didn't break the rules deliberately as he would not have talked about it in his press conference yesterday. Common sense has prevailed here, he broke the rules and has been penalised, but not draconianly as used to be the case.

I'd take the bunch to court if Eldrick ends up winning and I'd place 2nd, as this is clearly a bs explanation. They gave him the penalty because he mentoined the thing at the press conf while they were already aware and were going to let him get away wih it and now he got the pen because of the p/c? The explanation is bogus and bs

Robert Lusetich ‏@RobertLusetich 1m
Tiger now will certainly not WD because his drop was reviewed AND CLEARED AS OK by Rules Committee before his round was over.
-----
So if it was deemed ok what's the 2 shot penalty for? Does it still stand?
This doesn't sit right at all. Worse than yesterday's farce.

it was only deemed ok at the time.. as unbelivable as that sounds!!

it clearly wasnt ok and isnt ok now under furthar review! Basically anyone that knows the rules knows it isnt ok.. Sounds like complete bs on further thoughts.. Its a cover up.

Lairdy -- E X A C T L Y!!!

If someone finds a backbone, would you please send it to Augusta!

So, if Tiger kept silent in his post round interview, no intercession? Load of BS!

But, all behind him now ... this thing more wide open than when morning broke.

Anyway enough about Tigergate, Bubba's finally decided to defend

4 under through 10

blistering jinx!

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:In my opinion they have copped out here by applying a rule incorrectly. The ball did not move half a dimple and go unnoticed at the time; this was not phoned in by someone from their sofa.

Could this be Woods' "Jakarta-gate" or "scorecard-gate" moment? A controversy that will follow him around for a long time? I think if he were to DQ himself (disappointing as that maybe for the tournament, fans and himself) he would undoubtedly garner great press and the Bobby Jones sportsmanship award.

Harrington was lucky IMO not to be sanctioned after Abu Dhabi and the media went very easy on him. Harrington was aware his ball was moving/oscillating but it took a guy at home watching to phone in. Harrington chose to decide he was in clear and made no effort to clear his concience following the round by having the rules guys look at it.

Tiger acted honestly.................

a double bogey!!!!

Another rule to clarify for next years decisions book then.
How about if your ball hits the flag and rebounds into a ditch you are entitiled to a free reshot?

LOL

themightyone wrote:I'd take the bunch to court if Eldrick ends up winning and I'd place 2nd, as this is clearly a bs explanation. They gave him the penalty because he mentoined the thing at the press conf while they were already aware and were going to let him get away wih it and now he got the pen because of the p/c? The explanation is bogus and bs

Or you could just have played better and beat a man that had an almost certain 4 turned into an 8 by an unlucky bounce. Golf really needs to come out of the dark ages and change the rules to better suite the times we live in. It ridiculous that a TV viewer can change the outcome of a tournament. Especially as some players have so much more TV exposure and therefor are scrutinized more then others.

AlciG wrote:

Or you could just have played better and beat a man that had an almost certain 4 turned into an 8 by an unlucky bounce. Golf really needs to come out of the dark ages and change the rules to better suite the times we live in. It ridiculous that a TV viewer can change the outcome of a tournament. Especially as some players have so much more TV exposure and therefor are scrutinized more then others.

I agree on both points and hate that armchair ref's can do this, but it doesn't change the fact that if this had been Lee Westwood or Justin Rose they would no longer be in the tournament.

Tiger drip-droping a message via twitter as I type... Amazing how he can get >1000 retweets in less than 1 minute after he posts these messages...

And it doesnt change the fact that that was a basic rule and he should know it!!

Tiger Woods ‏@TigerWoods
At hole #15, I took a drop that I thought was correct and in accordance with the rules. I was unaware at that time I had violated any rules.

Tiger Woods ‏@TigerWoods
I didn’t know I had taken an incorrect drop prior to signing my scorecard. Subsequently, I met with the Masters Committee Saturday morning..

Tiger Woods ‏@TigerWoods
and was advised they had reviewed the incident prior to the completion of my round. Their initial determination...

Tiger Woods ‏@TigerWoods
was that there was no violation, but they had additional concerns based on my post-round interview. After discussing the situation...

Tiger Woods ‏@TigerWoods
...with them this morning, I was assessed a two-shot penalty. I understand and accept the penalty and respect the Committees’ decision.

Shows the power of social media, that he is releasing a statement via Twitter

Looks like Chinaboy Guan is a hole behind once again. Hope he's not blaming Thorbjorn . . . . .

Just watched a chat on the red button with Jim Nantz, Faldo and Feherty. The latter two were completely at odds, Faldo feeling the integrity of the game was being compromised, Feherty all for 'amendments to our constitution'.

The basis on which he's been allowed to continue in the tournament is not a change to the current rules, but a rarely used interpretation of them. That's assuming the story about them reviewing it and saying it was ok is true, which we'll never know. As such, Faldo's suggestion that he should still withdraw isn't valid. Perhaps the tournament committee ought to think about the tenability of their positions though - replays make it so blindingly obvious that his drop wasn't ok that you have to question how anyone could have decided it wasn't an illegal drop.

I find Tiger's twitter assertion that he was 'unaware' hugely disingenuous and completely unnecessary. When it looked like the TV rule had been invoked his awareness might have been relevant. If anything, now that it's essentially the committee's error rather than his, such unawareness makes it more appropriate that he should be dq'd rather than less.

Seems like the rules officials messed up more than Tiger. They reviewed his drop and said it was ok. Tiger signed his scorecard on the back of the ruling given to him by the officials that there was no issue with his drop.
Yes his interview changed the nature of how the incident was portrayed but surely itisn't Tigers fault that he was told there wasn't a case to answer.
Seems a break down in communication though. Whoever reviewed Tigers drop and said it was ok clearly didn't speak to Tiger and ask him his opinion. If that would have happened Tiger would have said he dropped 2 yards back, the official would have said you can't do that , given him a 2 shot penalty and then Tiger signs the correct score.
For me the man sausage up is by the ruling bodies. Tiger did nothing wrong.

While I'm glad this finally means that precedent has been set and nobody can get a DQ from trial by TV again ( ) this is all too much to do with TV Ratings than the integrity of the game.