I did not like the way it played out, but once the official explained their stance, I understood and accepted the decision. I don't like it, but I understand it.
I think it was very fortunate they talked to the competitor prior to his signature on the card. It preserved his place in the event and salvaged very good pay day.
Last edited by JerryG : 08-15-2010 at 11:32 PM.
Reason: grammar, context, etc.
Its all very unfortunate but it played out as it needed to given the local rule.
Its a shame that a design esthetic could contribute to such confusion. The course though entirely man made and perhaps a little over the top in its art direction was spectacular to my North American eye. The inspiration for the bunkering design is not from any man made bunkers but from the work of sheep.
And so, Gents, local rules aside, .........I need a ruling.
This is a course I played a few weeks back , Brora in the north of Scotland. Designed by James Braid , sheep and cows wander the course, the greens are surrounded by electric fences , it has bunkers as we know them and then these ones. Freshly made, this one by the fella at the top of the frame who had been resting in it until I spooked him and he left.
If my ball was to come to rest in this "bunker" ......should I considered it a hazard?
P.S. I know this is beside the point as far as Dustin is concerned but I couldnt help but think back to this course and wonder whether James Braid would have grounded his club.
Its all very unfortunate but it played out as it needed to given the local rule.
Its a shame that a design esthetic could contribute to such confusion. The course though entirely man made and perhaps a little over the top in its art direction was spectacular to my North American eye. The inspiration for the bunkering design is not from any man made bunkers but from the work of sheep.
And so, Gents, local rules aside, .........I need a ruling.
This is a course I played a few weeks back , Brora in the north of Scotland. Designed by James Braid , sheep and cows wander the course, the greens are surrounded by electric fences , it has bunkers as we know them and then these ones. Freshly made, this one by the fella at the top of the frame who had been resting in it until I spooked him and he left.
If my ball was to come to rest in this "bunker" ......should I considered it a hazard?
P.S. I know this is beside the point as far as Dustin is concerned but I couldnt help but think back to this course and wonder whether James Braid would have grounded his club.
The "local rules" distinction seems analogous to the "Enumerated Powers" given to Congress in Article 1 of the Constitution while limited by the Bill of Rights. (Congress is just a local golf tournament while the Bill of Rights is the PGA/USGA! Make it so LORD! )
There are usually "local rules" in any tournament. Touring golf pros understand the importance of those rules and amazingly, abide by those rules week after week on tours all over the world.
I have been to the sand dunes of Indiana and Wisconsin, and all around Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. I thought the young golfer was hitting off a sand dune. I thought it was very decent of the PGA folks to stop him from signing an incorrect score card and losing so much cash!
I played at Carnoustie many years ago with a Wednesday group of pensioners. They had a local rule about only charging each other one shot as the balls rolled into the water on the 18th fairway. Not only did I shoot a 98 but I lost 6 balls on that hole!
They did buy the pints later, though!
Patrick
__________________
HP, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Progress and not perfection is the goal every day!
What happened to Dustin Johnson was a big misfortune. And I guess no one wants to see such a ruling be decisive of the outcome of a tournamant.
Feherty tried to seed doubt as to whether those bunkers should be regarded as bunkers. That would have been nice. But also stupid. After seeing how much emphasis PGA had put on the local rules and the bunkers especially in the information handed out to the players before the tournament it would have been very unprofessional to give Dustin a relief just because he was in contention. There must have been hundreds of golf shots hit from those bunkers during the four rounds, where the subject players treated it as a real hazard. Too bad that Dustin Johnson wasn't aware that he was in a bunker, but obeying the rules is a part of the game even though it is not a core golfing skill.
PS:
Did you enjoy Brora, OB Left?
I played it two years ago and I can't wait to get back. I think James Braid has to share the glory with the almighty father on that course. Brora is perhaps the most natural beauty of a layout I've ever encountered. The cattle and sheep are btw (more or less)movable obstructions
I guess you played Royal Dornoch as well while you were "up north"?
Imagine what a non-issue this would have been had DJ hit the fairway or perhaps missed by only 20 or 30 yards right.
It's a tough but fair ruling. Too bad people want to cloud the issue of a guy hitting an absolutely horrible tee shot with all the chips on the line with "he got screwed by the rules".
There must have been hundreds of golf shots hit from those bunkers during the four rounds, where the subject players treated it as a real hazard.
That's the real question isn't it? How did other players treat this area? We'll never know how others played it because most of the 100's of other shots from this area and similar ones weren't on TV. On TV it looked a lot more like a trampled, worn sandy area than any sort of a bunker, but if you caught the computer graphic of the hole where they showed DJ's shot, the ball was being shown in a bunker.
That's the real question isn't it? How did other players treat this area? We'll never know how others played it because most of the 100's of other shots from this area and similar ones weren't on TV. On TV it looked a lot more like a trampled, worn sandy area than any sort of a bunker, but if you caught the computer graphic of the hole where they showed DJ's shot, the ball was being shown in a bunker.
Too bad he didn't just hit it straight(er).
Respectfully BamBam,
NO. It doesn't matter what other players did when not on camera. What matters when applying the rules of golf is officiating what you see, using all the resourses available to you.
Fair? No
Golf is not always fair, but we can't fault the PGA for the way the situation was handled. We are being vilified for doing the proper thing.
Kevin
__________________
I could be wrong. I have been before, and will be again.
NO. It doesn't matter what other players did when not on camera. What matters when applying the rules of golf is officiating what you see, using all the resourses available to you.
Fair? No
Golf is not always fair, but we can't fault the PGA for the way the situation was handled. We are being vilified for doing the proper thing.
Kevin
I didn't communicate clearly on my last post. It should've read "How was this particular bunker/trampled area ruled for other players that weren't on tv?". And that we may never know. You are correct; what other players do is irrelevant.
I agree with your assessment of all this 100% if that was a bunker. Based on what I saw on TV and by their definition of a bunker, I'm not convinced one way or the other. It was hard to see with all the people covering most of that ground. I've played enough golf on the dunes of Lake Michigan to know there are plenty of naturally occurring sandy areas on most lake-side/dune courses, even without thousands of people walking on the grounds.
The PGA had eyes on the ground, and they made the best call they could; I can respect that. Dustin should've hit the fairway, and given the local rule, he should've been extra cautious when he didn't.
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Hybrid Mode
