"So many people called in, the officials in the rules trailer unplugged the phone. They ignored it."

Thanks to reader Stuart for catching this from SI's all-player confidential. The topic was "rules warriors."

Van Sickle: This has been a year of weird rules violations. How do you feel about TV viewers reporting potential mistakes?

Henry: I'm not a proponent of fans calling in. Unlike other sports, we don't have an official watching every shot by every player. And not every shot is seen on TV, so some players are under more scrutiny than others. That isn't equal. We need to come up with a solution where a guy isn't disqualified for something he did wrong two days earlier.

Crane: Right. When a guy commits a penalty and doesn't know it, it should be a two-shot penalty, not a disqualification for signing a wrong score. All it's going to take is to DQ a leader everybody wants to see win.

Purdy: I wouldn't mind if the Tour had an 800 number. I wish they'd had that for the Heritage Classic, where Stewart Cink beat me after he moved sand from behind his ball. You can't do that except on a green. So many people called in, the officials in the rules trailer unplugged the phone. They ignored it.

Oops!

NCAA's Match Play Dates To Change...

...I'm sorry, I meant the U.S. Amateur is moving starting in 2012 to accommodate the fall academic calendar.

USGA CHANGES FUTURE DATES OF U.S. AMATEUR  AND U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Far Hills, N.J. (March 9) – Beginning in 2012, the United States Golf Association will shift its schedule for future U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships to help avoid conflicts between the competitive golf season and the fall academic calendar.

“Starting in 2012, our goal, for the most part, will be to end the Women’s Amateur on the second Sunday in August and the U.S. Amateur on the third Sunday in August,” said Jeff Hall, USGA managing director of Rules and Competitions. “Our intent is to give a large majority of the players who are still students a chance to compete in the national amateur championship and begin their fall class schedules on time.”

The 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., was originally scheduled for Aug. 20-26. It will now be played Aug. 13-19. The 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., will be conducted Aug. 12-18. In some instances, the final day of the U.S. Amateur will not fall on the third Sunday in August.

Ben Crane Offers Best Incentive Yet To Issue Two-Shot Slow Play Penalties

Rich Lerner interviews Ben Crane about his workout videos and debuts an agonizing new one, this time spoofing his addiction to rudeness, a.k.a. as his slow play addiction. Crane chalks up his inability to be considerate of his fellow golfers to "overtrying, just trying too hard" and because "I care too much."  He also says this "isn't who I am" and, "yes I play slow golf."

So why not make fun of my inconsiderate and entitled ways?

The Commissioner has made clear he does not believe two-stroke penalties are appropriate, but when a player is openly mocking the notion of slow play even as it's become a bigger issue than ever, could this be the time that we start enforcing the 45-second rule?

"He had a wonderfully dry sense of humour and his love of golf and his job was always apparent. He will be much missed."

Douglas Lowe's paper gets around to acknowledging his passing with a lovely collection of remembrances from a diverse group of golf dignitaries.

Casey Says Reports Of His Succumbing To Jason Day's Gamesmanship Provided LOL Moment

Steve Elling talked to Paul Casey about the look he supposed gave Jason Day after having to putt out in their WGC Match Play encounter a couple of weeks ago.

"I was honestly laughing out loud at what was written," Casey said Tuesday at the Cadillac Championship.

In an admitted attempt to make his opponents cringe, Day was making his foes finish even the shortest putts in their matches. Day dispatched Casey in the second round, a notable upset.

Casey said that any outward manifestation of frustration had nothing to do with any of Day's ploys.

"I have played in a lot of matches," said Casey, who won the World Match Play in Europe and is a two-time finaliest at the Accenture. "I have pretty much seen it all. I was mad at myself. I played like crap."

As for the Day ploy, Casey shrugged.

"We putt 'em all out every week," he said.