Stacy Lewis On New Video Rules Decision: “It didn’t really clarify anything.”

Ron Sirak writing for ESPN wonders why the LPGA just doesn't invoke local rules to address call-in rulings and scorecard issues. And after reading the comments from players interviewed by Randall Mell, it's obvious the players might start pushing that option.

While I was left a very confused about where Stacey Lewis stands on the Lexi situation based on her comments to Mell, she was clear in her view that Tuesday's emergency Decision adds confusion from the player's perspective.

Catriona Matthew agreed. From Mell's GolfChannel.com report:

“I think it muddies the water even more,” Matthew said. “That puts the rules officials in a much harder position. What do they call a judgment call?”

If Matthew had her way, viewers wouldn’t be able to call in violations, which would have spared Thompson the penalties.

“I don’t think you should be able to phone in after the fact,” Matthew said.

Mell: Lexi Thompson Has Many Questions To Answer

I doubt anyone wants this Wednesday's Lexi Thompson press conference at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout to turn into the Grand Inquisition, but given Tuesday's expected USGA/R&A announcement inspired by her ANA Inspiration penalty, it sounds like Lexi will get a lot of questions.

By staying quiet since the penalty and not giving her side of the story after the round or since, she's set herself up for a tough press conference, writes Randall Mell at GolfChannel.com.

So, there will be players and fans alike looking for transparency when Thompson meets with media on Wednesday.

After seeing replays, does she agree she committed an infraction?

Or does she think there may be some optical illusion created in the nature of the camerawork?

And why did she come in from the side of the ball to mark it?

Ko Fires Another Caddie, This Time After 2nd Place Finish

Giving Michelle Wie a strong run for player with a penchant for firing luggage handlers, Lydia Ko is splitting with bagman Gary Matthews after just nine events.

More impressively, after Ko had her best start of 2017, finishing second in this weekend's Lotte Championship.

Beth Ann Nichols reports for Golfweek.

And I think I speak for us all in wishing the next caddie the best of luck later his month when Ko returns at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout.

The move by the world No. 1 also comes not long after Ko moved from instructor David Leadbetter to Gary Gilchrist, and from Callaway to PXG.

Meanwhile Cristie Kerr picked up win number 19 in the Lotte.

Phil On Lexi Situation: "I think it should be reversed"

Phil Mickelson's comments today on the Lexi Thompson situation make too much sense. Well, maybe not reversing it, but the sentiment is sound in suggesting what a black eye this is for golf.

From The Masters Press Building:

Q.  Curious to get your reaction to what happened to Lexi, and viewers calling in.

    PHIL MICKELSON:  So rather than address that specific instance, what I would say is this:  I know a number of guys on TOUR that are loose with how they mark the ball and have not been called on it.  I mean, they will move the ball two, three inches in front of their mark, and this is an intentional way to get it out of any type of impression and so forth and I think that kind of stuff needs to stop.

    But I think it should be handled within the TOUR.  I think that the TOUR should go to those players and say, look, we've noticed you've been a little lax in how precise you've been in marking the ball.  We'd like you to be a little bit better at it ‑‑ and see if that doesn't just kind of fix the thing.

    Because we've all marked the ball imprecisely, especially when you're standing on the side of the ball like she was and not directly behind the ball, in line with the hole, where it's easy to draw a line.

    And I think that that should have been handled within the LPGA saying, hey, look, you're a little lax in how you're marking the ball.  You need to be careful.  Here's a warning and let's go from there.

    But to have a tournament be decided like that, with all the scenarios going around, as far as viewers calling in, as far as it being a one‑foot putt with really no advantage, just a little bit of loose marking, if you will, something that happens all the time, intentionally and unintentionally, I just think that's ‑‑ I think it should be reversed.  I think that she should be given the trophy.

Poll And Quick Wrap: Lexi's Infraction At The ANA

Anyone for expediting the Rules of Golf simplification?

I see both sides on this one. Why was Lexi Thompson picking up her ball and twisting her hand? Most likely for alignment purposes but there is always the possibility it was in a spike dent she didn't like. This was not addressed after the round anywhere I can see.

But like the Dustin Johnson situation last year at Oakmont, the evidence seen by someone at home (not apparently known to the rules staff according to this Nichols Golfweek column), was just not strong enough to fit the crime. But I suspect Rules of Golf experts don't agree even as we are likely to not face this situation in 2019.

The infraction, which again needed HD and slow motion to see, and the ensuing mid-round informing of a leader during the final round of a major:

Thompson lost the tournament on the first sudden-death hole to Soyeon Ryu, a fine player who has been trending toward a major win for some time. Sadly though, this one will be remembered for the four-stroke penalty.

From Beth Ann Nichols' Golfweek excellent report from Mission Hills:

LPGA rules official Sue Witters later said she was 100-percent certain that Thompson did not do it intentionally.

“It was a hard thing to do. To be honest, it made me sick.”

The LPGA said she breached USGA Rule 20-7c and Rule 16-1b. She incurred an additional penalty for incorrect scorecards under Rule 6-6d.

Ah the dreaded intent word.

As Missy Jones explains, the rules re-write will address this.

When you need to estimate or measure a spot, point, line, area or distance under a Rule, your reasonable judgment will not be second-guessed based on later evidence (such as video review) if you did all that could reasonably be expected under the circumstances to estimate or measure accurately.

The LPGA's statement:

Our statement regarding Lexi Thompson penalty. pic.twitter.com/bQrlIFrebQ

— LPGA (@LPGA) April 3, 2017

Your thoughts?

Was the LPGA correct in assessing a penalty to Lexi Thompson for not replacing her ball correctly?

Yes

No

 

pollcode.com free polls

 

Recap: Wie Plays With Li

Michelle Wie's recent resurgence made the first round ANA Inspiration pairing with Lucy Li a lot more fun given a former prodigy was able to enjoy seeing the game's future before her eyes.

Randall Mell at GolfChannel.com with Wie's fun reaction to getting an up-close look at 14-year-old Li.

How does Wie remember reactions to her debut?

“They were just like, `Damn, she's big,” Wie cracked.

Wie is 6 feet tall today, and she was practically that tall when she played her way into the final Sunday pairing with Annika Sorenstam back in 2003.

Li is nearly a foot shorter and petite.

“I was walking behind her on No. 1, and I'm like, `She's really cute,’” Wie said. “No one really called me that when I was 13. `Damn, she tall.’ That's all I got.”

Wie made herself laugh, and that’s what kind of day this pairing was. It was a feel-good match of the veteran and phenom.

Wie posted a 68 and Li a 71 before first round play was suspended.

Stacy Lewis Pushing For Firmer, Faster LPGA Courses

In another I'll file under "how far pros have come" in the last five years, it was fun to see Stacy Lewis yearning for firmer, faster conditions and not just declaring today's players superior to their predecessors.

I could do without her love of rough, but two out of three is still amazing.

And it's her reasoning that may be the best part. Randall Mell reports for GolfChannel.com from Mission Hills as the ANA Inspiration is about to begin:

Three of the year’s first tournaments were won with 72-hole record scores. The average winning score this year is 20 under par. The LPGA’s last major, the Evian Championship, was won by In Gee Chun at 21 under, the lowest score by a man or woman in major championship history.

“I definitely think play has gotten better, but I’ve also noticed over the last year and a half that our golf courses have gotten a lot softer,” Lewis said. “Softer golf courses mean you don’t have to think as much. You can be more aggressive and you can go at pins. There’s not as much penalty for a bad shot.

65 At 56: Inkster One Off Founders Cup Lead

Maybe it's that so many LPGA players are getting younger by the day, but 56-year-old Juli Inkster's 65 should remind Solheim Cup players later this year that the captain's still got game.

Randall Mell from Phoenix on the impressive start by Inkster.

This is Inkster’s 35th year in the LPGA. She’s an LPGA Hall of Famer with 31 tour titles, including seven major championships. She is 10 years older than the oldest player to win an LPGA title.

“I’ve been working hard on my game and it’s nice to see some results,” Inkster said.

Inbee Park Is Back (Again) And Incredible Again

She turned up in Rio, won the gold medal and seemed to be setting the stage for a walk-off (career) win. Turns out, Inbee Park took six months off and beat a top field in the HSBC Women's Champions. And seems to be back? Maybe?

Either way, the Inbee legend grows and becomes more intriguing if she continues to play a limited schedule, especially when she hits turns up to hit 64 of 72 greens and 55 of 56 fairways in beating an elite leaderboard that included Ariya Jutanugarn, Brooke Henderson and a resurgent Michelle Wie.

Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek reports on the win and Park's ability to post incredible numbers off a layoff.

“Today was pretty much, everything I looked at, it wanted to drop in,” said Park, who hit 17 greens (her first miss coming on the 18th hole) and took only 27 putts.

It wasn’t that long ago that an ailing Park struggled to finish tournaments to even qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. A lingering thumb injury made her future on tour seem doubtful. But then she shocked the golf world in Rio by taking Olympic gold after a two-month break.

At the HSBC Women’s Champions, Park stunned once again, winning in only her second start since last August.

In the winner's circle with Inbee Park! #hsbcwomenschamps

A post shared by LPGA Tour (@lpga_tour) on Mar 5, 2017 at 12:33am PST

One Rule Change (Almost) All Agree On: The Caddie Lineup

While I'm still reading through many of the new Rules of Golf language and many responses, I'm certain nearly everyone is ecstatic to see the new rule preventing caddies from lining up players.

Not only was it inconsistent with rules attempting to unify the professional and amateur game, but also contradicted efforts to speed up the game.

Caddies lining up players also undermined respect for LPGA Tour players, who were most likely to take advantage of this rules book gap. With that in mind, Randall Mell at GolfChannel.com explores what this means for the LPGA Tour and while most were positive, there was one player not pleased.

Brittany Lincicome, however, didn’t seem pleased.

“I disagree!” Lincicome tweeted. “Lining up players has nothing to do with pace of play. I get 40 [seconds], I should be able to do what I want!”

Lincicome tweeted a pair of angry emojis after her comment.

The story goes on to explore some of the dynamics of why female tour players rely on caddies to line them up. Now that the rule will be changed, this freed up the opinions of Jerry Foltz and Karen Stupples are the most forthright that I've read.

“I think women in general are more likely to delegate stuff to other people,” Stupples said. “I think it’s about reassurance more than anything else. I think that’s just conditioning. When you have someone behind you saying, `You’re good,’ that’s just confirmation.”

That is why the practice had to go.

LPGA At 22 Domestic Events, U.S. Women's Open A $5M Purse

The momentum of the LPGA Tour's business side continues under Commissioner Mike Whan's tenure, with purse increases at the majors and 22 events in the United States (but three domestic events disappear, including the Swinging Skirts at Lake Merced). 

Randall Mell notes the new events for GolfChannel.com as well as the purse increases.

The new schedule features four new events, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Ladies Open, the McKayson New Zealand Women’s Open, the Indy Women in Tech event at Brickyard Crossing in Indianapolis and the Thornberry Creek Classic in Green Bay, Wis.

This Golfweek report notes the return of match play in a revamped Lorena Ochoa Invitational and the USGA's $1 million purse increase at the U.S. Women's Open.

On the match play event and the dying events.

The biggest surprise of Wednesday’s announcement is that match play will return to the LPGA schedule for the first time since 2012. The Lorena Ochoa Invitational, a tournament that struggled to get a strong field in recent years, will transition into the Lorena Ochoa Match Play and will feature a field of 64. The event will also move from the fall to the spring and will be held at Club de Golf México in Mexico City, the tournament site since 2014.

Three domestic events, the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic (Prattville, Ala.), Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic (Daly City, Calif.), and Coates Golf Championship (Ocala, Fla.) will not return. 2017 will mark the first time the LPGA hasn’t competed on a Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail property in 19 years.