"But will his fellow pros be so lenient, once they have all had a chance to see it?"

Lawrence Donegan reports that Kenny Perry has been cleared of a possible rules violation that occurred during the FBR Open playoff. Video evidence suggested that Perry had improved his lie. I've seen it. Not good. But also not hard to come away feeling like there was intent of any kind. Then again, the rules of golf don't care about intent.

Rule 13–2 of the Rules of Golf states that a player is not allowed to improve "the position or lie of his ball". Mark Russell, a senior rules official with the PGA Tour, said he had "no problem whatsoever" with Perry's actions, adding that the footage was "inconclusive".

"During the course of the telecast of the FBR Open‚ we received no calls from viewers reporting a potential rules violation involving Kenny Perry. When a question was raised this week, several members of the tournament committee reviewed the videotape of Kenny Perry, and no evidence of any rules violation was found ... We will have no further comment on the matter,'' he said.

The Super Bowl had started at that point so I'm pretty viewership was light to non-existent.

Derek Lawrenson notes in the Daily Mail:

By waving his wedge behind his ball before playing a chip shot during a play-off against Charley Hoffman, Perry raised the question of whether he had improved his lie, and thereby broken the rules. After a further review on Sunday, US Tour rules officials exonerated the personable man from Kentucky, who charmed everyone with his grace in defeat at the Masters.

But will his fellow pros be so lenient, once they have all had a chance to see it? Or will this be like the Colin Montgomerie saga in Indonesia a few years ago, when he was cleared by the referee at the time of wrongdoing, only to be declared guilty a month later by a court of his peers?

Comments

[OWGR Fan]

Geoff was what Perry did worse than the moat Stewart Cink made behind his ball in the waste area at Harbour Town a few years back in his playoff? They ruled that no harm no foul as well after reviewing video evidence to the contrary.

If Perry was deemed to have improved his lie 4 months after the fact what can they do? Retroactively DQ him, strip him of the title an demand the money back? Isn't the event over at the moment Perry made his putt and attested to by Hoffman and tour officials?

[Frank Hannigan]

The Perry incident: The PGA Tour carbinari surely examined the tape which they found to be inconclusive. This all happened after the results were announced. Perry could still have been penalized, in fact DQ'd, if , during interrogation, he confessed by saying "Darn. You got me. I fixed that lie on purpose." In that case Perry would have given "wrong information." That, of couse, is not who Perry is.

I well remember the late Clyde Mangum, the Tour's #1 enforcer, calling the USGA's PJ
Boatwright. Hale Irwin had learned on a Monday that he had inadvertently viiolated a rule on Sunday. Irwin was taking the position he should receive no prize
money. PJ and Mangum convinced Hale he had to take the money since he had not given wrong information.

The Tour may have some problems. Cheating is not one of them.

[mark]

This will be one of those cases that if it was someone who the players generally dislike, then it would be another reason to dislike him (aka Monty) but because Kenny is very well liked, he will get the benefit of the doubt with his peers (at least most of them).

[RM]

is there a video?

[Pete Blaisdell]

For what my opinion is worth and I have 31 years in the rules business, I taped the final round and watched it on Monday. Let me be very clear on this. Did the incident catch my attention? Yes, it did. Did I replay it a number of times? Yes, I did.Was Kenny's actions a violation of 13-2? Be aware that there is a grey area that exists in this type of action.It is not black or white. You may get knowledgeable people that may see this in different lights and debate it till the cows come home. The TV angle was dubious at best. I agree with Mark Russell. No violation.