Chip Putterman
New
I think I just witnessed a robbery on national television. If the bunkers are yards outside the ropeline and people are standing in them and trampling them...DON'T CALL THEM BUNKERS.
NO JUSTICE FOR DUSTIN
- Thread starter Chip Putterman
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gaspasser1
New
A Sad Day for Golf
No way the area that DJ hit from should be ruled a bunker. Shame on the PGA. Shame on Whistling Straights. Shame on Pete Dye. Shame on golf. I want to cry...
No way the area that DJ hit from should be ruled a bunker. Shame on the PGA. Shame on Whistling Straights. Shame on Pete Dye. Shame on golf. I want to cry...
Richie3Jack
New
Yes. To me that's a waste bunker at the very least.
3JACK
3JACK
gmbtempe
New
Well they gave a rules sheet out to ALL the players telling them that some of the bunkers could change shape and texture during the play with all the fans..........at the very least as a player you should have had a question if this is a sand bunker.
Bad decision and a painful one.
Watson's decision to hit when Kaymer was in deep rough seems ridiculous to me.
Bad decision and a painful one.
Watson's decision to hit when Kaymer was in deep rough seems ridiculous to me.
I'm really bummed for DJ, who I was pulling for.
However, the PGA designated all sand areas as hazards at the beginning of the week and they sent CLEAR memos to each and every player. The memo explained that even areas that had been walked in and driven through and were unraked and were outside the ropes, were still hazards. They told them all this. clearly.
So none of us get to decide if it is a waste area. It is a hazard because the local rules say it is, and therefore DJ incurred a 2 stroke penalty.
There was no robbery here and no arbitrary decision by the PGA.
Maybe next time they will reconsider whether to designate areas like that as hazards, but that's a different story...
However, the PGA designated all sand areas as hazards at the beginning of the week and they sent CLEAR memos to each and every player. The memo explained that even areas that had been walked in and driven through and were unraked and were outside the ropes, were still hazards. They told them all this. clearly.
So none of us get to decide if it is a waste area. It is a hazard because the local rules say it is, and therefore DJ incurred a 2 stroke penalty.
There was no robbery here and no arbitrary decision by the PGA.
Maybe next time they will reconsider whether to designate areas like that as hazards, but that's a different story...
tallathlete
New
Guys, what happened today is also the reason a world class player needs a world class caddie with him. Would Bruce Edwards, Andy Martinez, Steve Williams, Joe La Cava, et al have caught this before it happened?
Richie3Jack
New
1. I've never in my life seen fans stand in a regular bunker.
2. I've never seen a regular bunker with grass in it.
3JACK
2. I've never seen a regular bunker with grass in it.
3JACK
gaspasser1
New
good point about the caddy. I hadn't thought of that. Still, it was hard to watch the playoff, and you could tell the announcers were holding back on their opinions... This course under current conditions should not be in a major rota.
gmbtempe
New
I thought it was a great course....
the problem here is this WAS explained to all the players before hand, no surprises. I saw Tiger in some other funny looking sand and don't remember him grounding his club.
It is not a good point about the caddies. You have former major champion winners announcing the golf and not one even made mention of the fact that it could even remotely be a bunker so if it was so obvious then why did these former players not pick up on it. It was a bush league call at best. It is also why a lot of people hate golf because there are some very stupid rules to the game.
gaspasser1
New
Well, I could be wrong.....
tallathlete
New
The caddie's job is to control, guide, advise, assist and HELP his man. I am not blaming this caddie....but I am certain some elite caddies would have caught this error. That's why they are world class caddies.
mgranato
New
The ruling was correct - simple decision, golf 101.
However, the local rule was utterly retarded. The group of knuckle heads that got together and decided that seemed like a fair rule should not be allowed anywhere near an AJGA event much less a major.
Thank goodness he missed the "winning" putt.
On a possibly inflammatory note - does anyone think the same ruling would have been made on the world's #1 (considering his history of favorable rulings)?
However, the local rule was utterly retarded. The group of knuckle heads that got together and decided that seemed like a fair rule should not be allowed anywhere near an AJGA event much less a major.
Thank goodness he missed the "winning" putt.
On a possibly inflammatory note - does anyone think the same ruling would have been made on the world's #1 (considering his history of favorable rulings)?
How he didn't think it was sand he was in is amazing. The fact that he didn't even think to ask a rules official that must have been within 30 feet of him is even more amazing. Do you think Nicklaus would have asked? Oh yea, he never grounded his club anyway, think of that! Did Bubba give up on the last playoff hole, he just looked so nonchalant. Maybe he didn't know it was a 3 hole aggregate......that was probably on the Rules Sheet also.
Should have been warned
In all major championships there is a rules official assigned to the lead groups to clarify rules situations. The bunker rule was clearly, and overly stated to the players since they changed the rule from the 2004 championship.
With that being said, I feel bad for Justin that a rules official did not remind him that he was in fact in a hazard. If you watched the playoff a rules official told Bubba that he could go to the the other side of the hazard and drop as an option. The rules official should have had better control of the situation and the gallery should never have been allowed in that area of bunkers.
In all major championships there is a rules official assigned to the lead groups to clarify rules situations. The bunker rule was clearly, and overly stated to the players since they changed the rule from the 2004 championship.
With that being said, I feel bad for Justin that a rules official did not remind him that he was in fact in a hazard. If you watched the playoff a rules official told Bubba that he could go to the the other side of the hazard and drop as an option. The rules official should have had better control of the situation and the gallery should never have been allowed in that area of bunkers.
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