When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
First we learned the R&A is open to revisiting the scenario of disqualifications for signing incorrect cards that, at the time players signed them were not incorrect. Now, Mike Davis, Senior Director of Rules and Competitions, confirms to the USGA is "absolutely going to reopen" discussions with the R&A. The Padraig Harrington situation was the final straw.
"We're all bothered by what is a narrow set of circumstances where someone can get the facts right and still be disqualified. In Harrington's situation, he thought ball was replaced and only television is telling us otherwise. He knew the rules, he thought he did everything right, he just didn't know all the facts. So the USGA and R&A will open it up again, but we also have to make sure we don't do something that has domino effect."
Davis was speaking after just returning from R&A meetings in St. Andrews and said emails have already been exchanged between the USGA and R&A on ways to remedy the rule without creating unintended consequences, such as allowing players off the hook for not knowing the rules. Which was not the case in the Harrington scenario.
Forget Padraig, we need the rule changed on scorecard DQ's to protect the viewers at home who have been called every name in the book after the latest call-in violation.
Thankfully, most of the scribes cooled off after their initial tweets about the sheer horror of a viewer witnessing a violation and daring to point it out. They directed their emotions at the rule the USGA and R&A refuse to budge on.
I just want to know how you can replace a ball like that?
Padraig Harrington was DQ'd from Abu Dhabi's HSBC Classic for signing an incorrect card after a viewer spotted this violation after the card was signed.
Here's the video of the violation called in after his round:
But some good news: more practice time!
From the beloved you-can't-make-it-up files, Lawrence Donegan writes about the European Tour considering a revamp of their disciplinary procedures now that it looks like Elliot Saltman's suspension may not stand up to legal scrutiny. And it was Colin Montgomerie, who received what many declare to be one of the great caught-cheating free passes ever, who sat in judgement of Saltman. But that's not what they want to overhaul!You be the judge of whose picture is going to be placed in the center for the Commissioner's daily C-level dart throwing and general male bonding session.
Ernie Els, talking to Doug Ferguson about missing the Presidents Cup (possibly). The problem rests with the European Tour's scheduling of the South African Open.
And apologize profusely, donate your winnings to charity and then beg people to stop bringing it up unless your name is Sandy Lyle. At least, that would be Monty's advice after his Jakarta shenanigans led to him receiving no suspension (and Internet scrubbing of the tape!).
While most like John Huggan are looking ahead to Tuesday's announcement of Jose Maria Olazabal as the next Ryder Cup Captain, Lawrence Donegan reports that it's the day of Elliot Saltman's cheating hearing. Sounds like a he said-he-he said situation.
All have been instructed not to discuss the details of the case but the Observer has established that Saltman faces charges of incorrectly replacing his ball at least five times during the first round of the event in Russia – marking the ball in one position (at "eight o'clock" on its circumference) on the green and replacing in another (at "six o'clock"), marginally closer to the hole.
These alleged infringements were drawn to his attention by his playing partners at the end of the round, after which all three met with Gary Butler, the European Tour rules official in charge that week. After that meeting, Saltman was disqualified. The Scot this week denied any wrongdoing, but in an interview with journalists in Spain last month he indicated that, in the immediate aftermath of the events in Russia, he agreed he had broken the rules. "I accepted what was said at the time because I was in shock at the time and I didn't want to be labelled a cheat. I am sorry now that I didn't stand up for myself,'' he said.
Great news Ty! Your two favorite writers will be gathering in the same spot every week to bicker about golf!
From the first Pond Scrum between Steve Elling and John Huggan at CBSSports.com. The topic is the Hyundai Tournament of Some Champions:
Elling: I have no problem with the notion of appearance fees. The purses in Europe are lower. They need to draw the top guns. The point being, if the PGA Tour's season opener was any more sleep-inducing, they'd need to give hammocks to the 1,000 fans that are actually in attendance. Maybe Mark Rolfing of NBC Sports has it right. Open field to guys who have won over past two years. More warm bodies that way. Then, maybe Hawaii is the right locale for the opener. It's a sleepy start. The whales are cavorting in the Pacific. Sharks like Tiger and Phil stay home. Everybody in the States gets to watch the palm trees swaying in prime time. No stress, no strain ... little drama?
Huggan: Open it up to European Tour winners! What a concept, eh? Cooperation between tours.
There was also this from Huggan on young players to watch:
Huggan: Matteo Manassero also springs to mind. But that is hardly an original thought. Pencil this 17-year-old Italian in for the next Ryder Cup in Chicago. Schwartzel wants it more than Oosthuizen, who already shows signs of being happy with what he has already achieved.
Ooshuizen did his best to confirm that fact with this quote about staying in South Africa to play a minor event instead of flying to Hawaii to test out that new PGA Tour card.
"I decided not to go and play the two tournaments in Hawaii because that won't leave me with enough off time before the start of the new season," Oosthuizen said in a story posted on the European Tour's website
Reader Alex sent the latest Euro Tour viral video, which I had watched with amusement a few weeks and about 500,000 viewers (!?) ago. Alex wrote, "THIS is why the Euro tour is just cool...somehow, I can't imagine Finchi and a couple of tour pros getting together for something like this."
I have to say, he has a point. Hard to imagine the PGA Tour filming a spot without a script that hasn't been vetted by the briefcase brigade.
Of course after watching it also begs the question, how many PGA Tour brats players would have the personality and disposition to spend all day filming such a spot?
I thought we had this all worked out, links in 2011 and 2012, with Castle Stuart and The Renaissance Club taking over for Loch Lomond. Apparently not, reports Martin Dempster who says The Renaissance is out entirely through 2013.
The Scotsman understands it has been ruled out due to the fact it doesn't yet have a proper clubhouse, while the European Tour would also rather wait until three new holes in the pipeline there are not only built but also bedded in before hosting one of the biggest events on the circuit.
It had been suggested Castle Stuart could host next year's tournament before it then moved to The Renaissance Club for a spell, but a problem with that is the return of the Open Championship to Muirfield, its next door neighbour, in 2013.
Having two major events back-to-back in such close proximity is a situation both the European Tour and the R&A are believed to be keen to avoid.
As things stand, it appears Castle Stuart, which has earned rave reviews since opening its doors 18 months ago, is still the likely option for next year and, quite possibly, for another two years after that.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
