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1st - we watch tour pros every week take forever and a day to play their shots. Last week I watched as Jeff Overton took what seemed like 3 or 4 minutes to play a shot from the fairway. We have all seen Na, Crane, and others play exceedingly slow. So how does the PGA battle this? They penalize a 14 year old amature for not playing his shots in the allotted 40 second shot window - yeah, I know he had been warned once, but no player has been penalized in a major in almost 10 years. You mean this kid is the first player in 10 years that is guilty of slow play in a major? Yeah, sure. This on a day where the average round was probably about five hours and thirty minutes. Disgusting and idiotic, imo.

2nd -Tiger may have taken an illegal drop on 15. He said after the round that he moved back 2 yards from the spot of his original shot and hit his fifth. Now, he was absolutely robbed by the golf gods on his original approach, but the shot must be played from the same spot (not a spot two yards further away), if that is the option that the player chooses to use. Interesting to see how this plays out.

Correct.  Within the rules for a lateral hazard (red Stakes) Tiger took a proper drop.

The drop was not on the spot of his last shot. He said so in interview. And that wasn't the line where he could go back as far as he wanted - that line would have been over next to the grandstand. The drop was not legal.

They penalized him two strokes.  That just breaks my heart. :dance:

http://espn.go.com/golf/masters13/story/_/id/9167230/2013-masters-tiger-penalized-2-strokes-ball-drop-15

So what happens the next time a player signs an incorrect card? Are they DQ'd unless the rules committee has already reviewed the issue and deemed it  OK?

Seems that unless a blatant or obvious disregard of the rules is shown, a DQ might not be warranted from here on out.

Well, keep in mind that The Masters is not technically a PGA Tour event- it is operated by Augusta National itself, and any of these rulings are at the discretion of AN officials.  So if this happens at the Masters again, then that would be a legitimate question.  If it happens elsewhere, it's apples and oranges.  Ditto for the US Open, which is run by the USGA, and The Open Championship (R&A).  The PGA Championship is the only major operated by the PGA Tour itself. 

Is it true that officials reviewed the drop after a tv viewer called and reported it?

Lol, don't they have "refs" at every hole?

Oh SNAP! :clap:

(FYI, this is the ex of Lindsey Vonn, Tiger's current girlfriend)

Thomas Vonn ‏@ThomasVonn 4h
No problem Masters tournament happy to call in and help. You always have to keep an eye on those cheaters ;)   http://yhoo.it/Zh7TBu
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That is true. Hence Ridley being involved in the decision.

The PGA sold its soul to Tiger long ago.

 :dielaughing:

The Masters is not a PGA Tour event, and the rules officials met with Tiger before he signed his scorecard on Friday and didn't have an issue then.  There was a rules official observing, and he did not note anything about a breech of the rules. 

I'm no Tiger apologist anymore than I would be any other player in the same situation.  He signed the scorecard after tourney officials reviewed the situation as they all understood it, at the advice of Master's officials. 

It happened, he was penalized, and as The Eagles say in a song, "Get over it"! 

It adds drama and interest.  And there's still a lot of golf left to play.

from:  http://www.usga.org/news/2011/April/Rule-Revised-On-DQ-For-Incorrect-Card/

"The R&A and the USGA Confirm that the disqualification penalty still applies for score card breaches that arise from ignorance of the Rules of Golf. As such, this decision reinforces that it is still the responsibility of the player to know the Rules, while recognizing that there may be some rare situations where it is reasonable that a player is unaware of the factual circumstances of a breach."

The problem is that the Masters Rules committee had rulled that Tiger had acted IAW the rules of golg BEFORE he signed his card.  Therefore they really had no choice but to invoke rule 33 when CHANGING their position AFTER he signed the card.

IMO Tiger should have withdrawn but in the end his fellow players finishing with him in 4th and behind him have to deal with the less $$$ they received as a result of his continued play.

How is that pertinent to my post?  Tiger has always gotten preferential treatment.  I have seen it first hand.  There's Tiger, and then there is everyone else.

I watch golf about as much as I do baseball, and I don't really care one way or another for Tiger... but how is it fair for them to take call ins for rules violations from tv viewers when someone like Tiger is on camera a ton more than these other guys?

That's your opinion.

Share with us how you have seen it first hand, please.  I'm sure we'd all be interested in hearing that. 

Tiger may be an ass, but he is an ass that delivers TV ratings and revenue whenever he plays in an event.   If you call that preferential, then so be it.  He is still the world's #1 ranked player for a reason. 

Yeah, I mean, it's not like he stayed in the left lane too long or anything.  For that, probably a lifetime ban from golf would be appropriate. 

 :naughty:

GOOD POINT, I AGREE

how about a lifetime ban from THE INTERSTATE!!  :box: :run: :nono: :rant:

You're gonna get droner to lock this thread!  :eek:

Get real, the only reason droner locked the thread was because it was getting too close to having more replies that TRO's top of the list thread :nod: :loco: :dunno: :inughout:

Don't make me come in here. I'll do it.

At the 2001 PGA Championship, when Tiger would walk through from 9 to 10, they pushed everyone way back and put ropes up to keep everyone away.  You are correct that it is all about money.  The PGA and USGA, etc., etc., give all this talk about it being a gentlemen's game and the players are self officiating and blah, blah, blah, but in the end it is all about money.  I would have much more respect if the PGA treated Tiger just like any other golfer on the Tour.  I know they can't do anything about what TV reporters and advertisers do, but they should keep the integrity of the Tour.

Really?  That's your first hand proof? 

So, exactly how was that preferential treatment?  Like it or not, Tiger's galleries are huge - much bigger than most of the other players when he is in the field.  Sounds to me like it was a pre-emptive security move. 

Same with John Dailey...I've been to several events he was in and he had armed guards following him...inside the ropes.

Daley's wife is reason enough for the armed guards!

Wives...not wife!  :pin:

It did not look necessary to me.  I saw no difference in the crowd before, during, or after tiger went through.

Sorry, CV, but I just don't buy that at all.  I've been to many a PGA Tour Event and the PGA Championships.  When Tiger is playing, the galleries for his group far outnumber those of most of the other players.  That's just not debatable.  It's stone cold fact. 

If that's the proof to back your claim, then you've got no proof at all.