Opinion & Analysis
What’s Tiger’s story and do we believe it?
A day after being assessed a two-stroke penalty for hitting a ball which he caused to move, Tiger Woods gutted out a five-under-par 66 in the third round of the BMW Championship. With a birdie on the final hole, Woods moved within four shots of leader Jim Furyk.
Despite his strong play, the penalty still smoldered for the world’s No. 1 golfer on Saturday, however.
“After seeing the video I thought the ball just oscillated,” Woods said about his meeting with rules officials after his second round. “I thought that was the end of story. But they saw otherwise.”
Any examination of whether Tiger’s comments about the rules infraction are believable involves the matter of Woods’ golf ball revolving, or oscillating, which is defined, in part, as “to move in one direction and then back again.”
Woods used the term multiple times in conveying his belief about what happened on the first hole Friday.
“I moved the pine cone right behind my ball,” he said. “I feel like the ball oscillated, and I just left it.”
Rules official Slugger White and company maintained that the ball changed positions, in addition to rotating or oscillating, thus violating rule 18-2. So since Woods didn’t replace the ball to its original position before he played his shot, he incurred a two-shot penalty — an 8 on No. 1 in Round 2 instead of a double-bogey 6.
Do we believe Tiger’s defense, that he thought the ball oscillated but didn’t move? Or is there a possibility that Tiger realized the ball moved, but didn’t think anyone saw it and elected to play on. After all, it took the work of a heads up freelance videographer to catch Woods’ infraction. But there’s no possibility of proving or disproving Woods’ intent.
Watching the video, Woods’ ball clearly moves in some fashion, as can be determined from a couple of reference points. It’s unclear (with respect to the directions in the video) whether the officials felt the ball moved left, right, forward, or back. It’s unclear, too, what Tiger’s understanding of oscillation is.
In the USGA’s Decisions text, the following is presented:
Q. In addressing the ball, a player accidentally causes the ball to oscillate, but it returns to its original position. Has the ball “moved”?
A. No.
For Woods’ ball to not have “moved,” it must have oscillated back into the same position it occupied previously, which it clearly did not.
It seems more plausible that if Woods knowingly tried to cheat, he’d feign surprise when seeing the video, agreeing with the conclusions of the rules officials. Because really, there wasn’t a debate to be had; the officials were merely informing the golfer of their decision and showing how they arrived at their conclusion. But Tiger certainly seemed to believe the story he was telling.
Whether you think Tiger attempted to cheat or that he just didn’t see the movement of the golf ball, one thing is clear. After three sloppy penalties in 2013 — in Abu Dhabi (an incorrect drop that led to a two-stroke penalty), at the Masters (where he was penalized again for taking an incorrect drop) and at the BMW Championship — a little rule book coaching might come in handy in addition to the work he puts into his swing.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again
After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.
Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.
Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”
Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.
“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.
Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.
“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”
“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”
As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.
In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.
“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”
Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.
Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:
Fairways Hit
1.) Louis Oosthuizen
2.) Anirban Lahiri
3.) Jon Rahm
4.) Brendan Steele
5.) Cameron Tringale
Greens in Regulation
1.) Brooks Koepka
2.) Brendan Steele
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Cameron Tringale
5.) Anirban Lahiri
Birdies Made
1.) Brendan Steele
2.) Dean Burmester
3.) Thomas Pieters
4.) Patrick Reed
5.) Carlos Ortiz
LIV Golf Individual Standings:
1.) Joaquin Niemann
2.) Jon Rahm
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Louis Oosthuizen
5.) Abraham Ancer
LIV Golf Team Standings:
1.) Crushers
2.) Legion XIII
3.) Torque
4.) Stinger GC
5.) Ripper GC
LIV Golf Singapore Picks
Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)
Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.
This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.
Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)
Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.
This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.
It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.
Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)
Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.
Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.
Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.
Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)
Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.
Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.
If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.
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In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.
While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.
Here are some of my key takeaways.
Method Teacher
It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.
Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.
The Cult of Stack and Jilt
The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”
Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.
These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.
Fooled by Randomness
In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.
Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.
Practice
One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”
Sunk Cost
The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.
Cliches
Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.
The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.
This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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Zeke
Oct 2, 2013 at 5:39 pm
I don’t remember Jack being caught trying to “cheat” the rest of the field. One can plainly see that the ball changed position. His eye surgery wasn’t very good if he can’t see it. I can understand not seeing it from above. Tough angle. But on the video, he had to be able to see it.
Also, if Tiger doesn’t know the most basic rules, he shouldn’t be playing. Tried to get away with it, not once, but twice, it appears. Should have been DQ’d at the Masters. Any other player would have.
RB
Sep 24, 2013 at 12:59 pm
I agree with Shankerton. Everyone and his grandma knows this is a penalty and everyone and his grandma knows Tiger tried to cheat and get away with it. End of story.
Martin
Sep 25, 2013 at 8:25 am
There are numerous examples of players on tour who felt there is a ruling dispute and call the referee in time of evidence. So TW should have done it at the moment of ” oscillation” and not later on. I love to see all golfers be accurate no difference if they got ta,ped on video or not. Pros are experts in ruling.
Eric
Sep 24, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Tiger is not close to my favourite golfer, but here’s my take. From his vantage point, he thought the ball oscillated. When he saw the video, he knew the ball moved, but was pissed off and stuck to his story to save face or make a point. If every tour player was scrutinized to the same degree as Tiger, with blown up video from the perfect vantage point, every one of them would be a cheater (most unknowingly), including Jack, Arnold, Trevino, Jones, etc. This said, I have yet to see Tiger call a penalty on himself…
I’d like to see all video evidence removed from the game, unless it’s a major network. If you ask the tour players of the past who they thought bent the rules the most, you’d see a smile on their face, but they wouldn’t tell you. I think these golfers know when they’ve cheated and I can’t imagine they finshish the round well with it hanging over their head. Eventually everyone gets cought by a peer…
Judd
Sep 23, 2013 at 7:31 pm
My experience working with individuals that are punished for wrong doing, when they get loud they are guilty. It just seems to me that Tiger has had several situations this year that reveal he hasn’t really changed.
If a man will cheat on his wife and children, he will cheat on golf. Media scrutiny isn’t his problem. He makes millions of dollars a year in endorsements because of media attention. He should have been dq’d at the Masters and I imagine the reason he played so poorly this week is the fallout he was getting in the locker room for “oscillation-gate”.
Jeannot
Sep 24, 2013 at 2:16 am
Sorry. I have cheated on 2 wives, but never at golf, at least intentionally. And I think that many of the rules are ridiculous.
If there must be rules, keep them simple (e.g., lift, clean and place is always acceptable, or play the ball as it lies with no exceptions – no removing of “loose impediments”). The advantage gained by golfers on the PGA tour as a result of hitting grandstands and spectators or landing on trampled ground are benefits that most of us never get the opportunity to enjoy.
3sip
Sep 23, 2013 at 3:32 pm
we have all hit a shot in the junk and as you stand over your ball you think should I move that cone twig leaf ect to get a better lie our Leave it alone. if you move said branch leaf twig cone ect and the ball moves you get a penalty weather it improves your lie our not. the fact that you try to move a loose impediment and it causes your ball to move you have incurred a penalty stroke. maybe it oscillates but you point out so that you make sure your playing partners know and you don’t get called a cheater or not knowing the rules. ” hey I moved this stick and my ball oscillated.” the fact that he stopped moving the impediment as soon as the ball moves meaned he saw it move. period. ” hey I moved this stick and my ball moved/oscillated” – that’s the gamble with moving stuff near your ball. I’m a horrible golfer according to wrx standards and I know this rule , you tell me tiger does not know this rule better than me
Shankerton
Sep 23, 2013 at 9:12 am
Every hack that shoots a 107 on chop Sunday knows thats a penalty, golf 101 ladies. Tiger lovers are hilarious.
Bart
Sep 18, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Tony, no it’s not you mate, it’s Johnny Miller, why the network keeps bringing him back with his vast array of stupid and sometimes just plain
ignorant comments will have to stay a mystery I s’pose, really, is he the best they can do? I don’t think so, time to put out to pasture where he belongs.
Gordon
Sep 18, 2013 at 2:32 pm
He did not try to cheat. He did exactly what every honest golfer does. He carefully tested the loose impediment and returned the impediment when the ball began to move. From Tiger’s perspective the ball staying in the original position, when in fact if dropped a tad lower, appearing to oscillate. Sometimes I’m embarrassed by my fellow golfers, so self righteous and hateful.
JDF
Sep 18, 2013 at 1:38 pm
This makes me believe that all golfers should hone their skills playing pick-up-sticks.
Haters are going to hate, and those that like Tiger are going to defend him. No one offering their opinion was there, in Tiger’s exact situation to be able to make the call. Get over it. Worry about you and your own game/antics/ethics. Life goes on.
Steve
Sep 18, 2013 at 1:13 am
For what it’s worth, they were asking other players about this and:
A) Dustin Johnson said he watched the video like 5 times and still didn’t think it moved
B) A couple (including Stricker and Watney) agreed that it wasn’t fair to have viewers make these calls
James
Sep 16, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Some golf rules are a stupid and to expect someone to be able to determine if a ball “moved” is a tough one. He moved something the ball did its thing and he backed off. He would have moved the stick then the ball would have moved…so….. once again some golf rules are stupid…
1) Hitting out of a divot?
2) What happen to Justin Rose….dumb
Just two, but there are plently more.
RCM1301
Sep 16, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Once a cheater, always a cheater. Being it in the bedroom with the wife or on the golf course. Tiger is a cheater.
erock
Sep 16, 2013 at 3:58 pm
I am happy for some that have lead a life without ever having made a mistake. But not everyone has that luxury, and for the rest of us we would like to think that we can apologize and work hard at being a better person and that people will forgive us. Tiger has made a lot of strides towards bettering himself and his relationships. It’s a shame that someone has no other opinion than “once a cheater, always a cheater”.
RCM1301
Sep 17, 2013 at 9:00 am
Clearly his ‘bettering himself’ didn’t work Friday, beacause, if what you say is true, he would have accepted the mistake, apologize and move on. Instead he tried to defend his action, thereby making it an issue and showing his inherit characteristic as a cheater in all forms of life.
erock
Sep 17, 2013 at 9:31 am
It’s one thing to admit fault when there is one (i.e. his extracurricular activities while married), it’s an entirely different situation to admit fault when you feel that you have done nothing wrong. There is a distinct difference between humility and weakness. If we know anything about Tiger it’s that he is historically been the most mentally tough golfer to ever play. I think Earl Woods would roll over in his grave if Tiger admited fault when he truly believes he did nothing wrong. That’s not the kind of weakness the son of a Green Beret shows and it sure isn’t how he raised him! Tiger took his medicine, accepted the ruling and ended up having a good showing on the weekend. Not sure what else people expect from him.
erock
Sep 16, 2013 at 1:19 pm
What I find interesting about this situation, even more so than Dubai and Augusta, is that he had just a couple of minutes to assess the situation, determine what he perceived to be the correct ruling and continue play. The media/golf fans, however, have had days to watch and re-watch the tape and to be critical of his decision. Had this been any other player in the tournament or any other athlete in the world this would be a non-issue, he would have taken the penalty and moved on if that is what the situation waranted. Sports media has taken such a “guilty until proven innocent” attitude that it is so difficult for someone like Tiger to change the general perception of himself to the casual fan.
Paul
Sep 16, 2013 at 10:48 am
How is the game supposed to attract new people with piddly crap like this, an embarrassing waste of time. Most people not into golf already hold a negative view of the game and people who play it (thanks Tiger, as if my girlfriend didn’t already have enough reasons to hate golf), this “infraction” only adds to the skepticism. If you need 10x zoom to see the movement of the ball, i’ll go out on a limb and say that the movement absolutely and unequivocally will not effect your play one way or the other. At least make it a half inch maximum unintentional movement in any direction, something slightly less ridiculous like that. EVERYONE has come up to their ball and accidentally nudged it with their club at address or on a practice swing, and no one can actually believe that it warrants a one or two stroke penalty. Football is constantly updating its rule book to make the game better. Even the most traditional game of all, baseball, has started doing video review. Golf needs more then a few updates to make the game more accessible and enjoyable, something besides the insignificant anchored putter rule change. Thanks PGA and R&A, now my grandpa has to jack-up his 85 year old spine using a conventional putter, and he gets a two stroke penalty every time he taps the ball at addresses with his shaky old hands. GENIUS!
ElwoodBlues
Sep 16, 2013 at 10:47 am
I think this says a lot about Tiger Wood’s integrity and his personality in general.
Do you remember that scene from ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance’? Search for ‘bagger vance penalty stroke’ on Youtube. That is the way I would like to win a tournament.
RCM1301
Sep 16, 2013 at 2:59 pm
Or even loose it. That’s why old school like Bobby Jones is superior to cheaters like Tiger Woods.
ElwoodBlues
Sep 16, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Absolutely. If I would win a tournament by not calling a penalty on myself it definitely wouldn’t feel like a win. At least I would now that it was not fair. That is fictional Rannulph Junuh’s argument in ”The Legend of Bagger Vance’. Obviously, Tiger decided that he doesn’t care how he wins. Tiger Woods has been so successful. He needs to win neither the BMW Championship nor the FedEx Cup 2013 to prove that he is one of the best golfers of all time. And with this context he should stand to the rules even more to show true greatness.
Pablo
Sep 16, 2013 at 10:30 am
Here’s what I think: Tiger saw the ball move but probably thought it moved back, as he said. If you watch the video though, it rolled to the side AND dipped down, then sort of turned back but obviously didn’t rise back up. It’s not conclusive, but that could almost support Tiger’s account. He wouldn’t notice the ball settling down less than 1/4 of an inch (probably even less than that). So basically this happened because cameras are always on Tiger (even if it’s a freelance ESPN guy) and a zoomed-in camera has a better perspective than the golfer (Tiger in this case) does since the ball moved mostly downward (not as much side-to-side). Is it unfortunate? Yes, but it happened and Tiger couldn’t dispute it. But he moved on (for the most part) and is still in contention tomorrow – so why can’t everyone coming out of the woodworks move on also?
Mitch Cumstein
Sep 18, 2013 at 12:50 pm
All Tiger had to do after watching the video, was admit it moved and the story is over. Anyone who thinks the ball merely “oscillated” after viewing the video is delusional.
Elin
Sep 16, 2013 at 10:15 am
“In no way is Tiger Woods a “cheater”. I strongly disagree.
Payton
Sep 16, 2013 at 12:32 am
In no way is Tiger woods a “cheater” he is one of the greatest to play this game if not the greatest. Tiger would never not call a penalty on himself when fit. Most of you are uneducated about the subject and don’t know all the facts/rulings of the situation so don’t be quick to judge. I back Tiger on his opinion.
Callyboy79
Sep 16, 2013 at 8:00 am
Are there any instances of Tiger actually calling a penalty on himself?
Also was ther not a questionable drop after hitting into a water hazard a few tournaments ago?
Dave
Sep 16, 2013 at 9:19 am
Your joking right? Tiger in his career has called a TON of penalties on himself.
Get out of here unless you know what your talking about.
RCM1301
Sep 16, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Name a few of the TON.
R
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Honestly, I don’t think cheating is entirely a fair word. The ball moving basically a millimeter didn’t seem to give him an advantage at all over the field. Generally speaking, cheating involves gaining a HUGE advantage, and usually comes hand in hand with success. Note that he still got a double bogey on the hole. I don’t think cheating is the right word. If the ball genuinely moved, which it did, would Tiger really not move it back the millimeter forward that it did? It really didn’t make a difference, which is why I think Tiger didn’t “cheat”.
Rich
Sep 15, 2013 at 7:54 pm
You’re joking right? Cheating means you break the rules. It doesn’t mean you have to be successful by doing it or gain an advantage. It means you break the rules. So how much does the ball have to move for you before it’s deemed to be an advantage? It’s black and white. The ball moved, it’s a rules infraction. It’s pretty simple. I’m with MWP, rules are rules. If you break them, you pay the penalty. If you don’t like it, DON’T PLAY GOLF!
Hunterdog
Sep 15, 2013 at 9:59 pm
Is it your opinion that every infraction of the rules is “cheating”?
Jack
Sep 16, 2013 at 4:53 am
rule infractions are not cheating, breaking them and not reporting them is. BTW the standard is so different from other sports. In the NFL or NBA for example, it’s always if you’re not caught, then it’s not breaking the rules. If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying hard enough. In golf, if the ball moves 1mm, and you don’t try to put the ball back, you get penalized. What’s funny is if Tiger had tried to put it back, he would have better his ball position probably and only been docked 1 stroke. Guess it pays to be honest after all!
Rich
Sep 24, 2013 at 6:14 pm
You’re right. Not all rules infractions constitute cheating. Fair comment. Tiger confirmed he saw the ball move but claimed it was oscillating. That’s just a bunch of hooey. He knew it moved (how could you not!) and was trying to get away with it. Now that’s cheating.
Fred
Sep 18, 2013 at 5:07 pm
But the ball didn’t move enough to give Tiger an advantage, which was obviously by the video and the resulting shot. He could have left the stick untouched and gotten the same result.
MWP
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:26 pm
THE ONLY THING IM LEARNING from this thread is that I wouldn’t want to play golf with about 95% of you people.
Know the rules, follow the rules, and accept the consequences when you break them.
Barry
Sep 15, 2013 at 11:18 am
If he did think the ball oscilated-would 99% of golfers not inform their playing partner or call for a ref?I would inform my playing partners and I’m not playing for 10 million on the pga tour,I’m playing for a 30 euro butcher voucher here in Ireland!I think this brings his honour and integrity into question unfortunatly.I love Tiger-my fave player-but this stinks,he should have asked for a ruling and cleared it up there and then.
Jack
Sep 16, 2013 at 4:50 am
Tiger’s called plenty of violations on himself. He just didn’t think that was a violation. Yeah, it moved like 1 mm. It was a violation. If I was playing a recreational round I would not have called it on myself LOL. Call my integrity into question. Obviously, he is playing pro tournament golf, in which I would call it. But seriously it’s not like he kicked it out from the trees. And his viewing angle is different from the camera as well. It’s hard to tell how it moved without instant replay, but he got his penalty, play on!
Coy
Sep 15, 2013 at 9:15 am
The ball obviously moved but I’m sure in the heat of the moment he didn’t noticed the movement. It did “seem” to oscillate but the movement was very minimal and he just probably didn’t see it. But after seeing the video he should of just admitted the ball moved, and moved on. Still love to watch Tiger but he needs to admit his mistakes.
Kevin
Sep 15, 2013 at 8:07 am
He should take a lesson from Bobby Jones. Bobby would see movement and call the penalty on himself. Sportsmanship!
Jeff Allen
Sep 16, 2013 at 12:08 am
Bobby Jones, 1925 U.S open. Case closed
reqq
Sep 15, 2013 at 6:34 am
wonder what the rules say if the ball oscillate and rotates around its own axis? Because didnt the rules official use that black mark to prove the ball moved?
matt
Sep 15, 2013 at 4:55 am
I get that the rule states if the ball moves its a penalty. But I also think that the rule was put there to keep golfers from improving their lie, which the ball moving did not do. The ball rolling over a millimeter only being seen by the logo barely moving really cant be classified as lie improvement. I also think that outside cameras should not be able to justify a penalty, I think its up to the players (honesty, not saying tiger didn’t know) and the rules officials. Just my thoughts, but from where the ball was and the way the ball was sitting it would be hard for a player to call a penalty on themselves when they are not sure if the ball actually moved.
David McCuiston
Sep 15, 2013 at 3:28 am
I think he probably cheated. Would like to see the video. Though, when your ball moves a millimeter and you have no idea how to even place it back where it was…so that there is really no consequence? Well that is more when addressing the ball…moving a twig and the ball moves that’s hard to get around. I guess you just take the penalty and say it’s basically in the same spot…or call a rules official over.
He has put too much pressure on himself I think. He used to will putts in, and win like a demigod. I think hubris has destroyed him. Life and golf is trying to teach him humility, but he refuses to learn the lesson.
He would gain so much in calling a penalty on himself. Seriously, especially if he was in contention, and it was something he might get away with, it would go so far. If it was in a major? He might turn around his reputation. As it is if he pulls out a few majors on his courses, like Pebble Beach and approaches the record as things are now…He is a jerk. Such an opportunity lost! He’s a bit of a lost soul at this point it seems. As a viewer it is much more entertaining to see him struggle and be human…and when he does win, at least everyone isn’t collapsing around him. If he does turn things around great, would like to see him learn from his mistakes. I’m not sure it is in him, though he does show some honesty and humility at times when talking about this golf.
Scotty B
Sep 16, 2013 at 11:41 am
You haven’t seen the video? So how can you make an informed opinion?? It’s obvious by your comments, that you don’t want to speak to the issue, but would rather foster you own morals views onto Tiger and the rest of us.
So tired of you select few who obviously never make mistakes in your life and then have to attone for them (sarcasm in case you missed it). Unless you’re a personal friend of Tiger, or in his family, or had your life personally affected by Tiger’s actions; shutup already.
john
Sep 15, 2013 at 2:32 am
wow the ball moved a 1/10 of a centimeter, what an advantage that gave him…
jtopher
Sep 15, 2013 at 3:01 am
Well actually the advantage he gets is moving what’s in the way. if you can’t do that without the ball moving then YES it is an advantage.
Dan
Sep 15, 2013 at 4:20 am
Well, actually, he didn’t end up moving the twig, so it stayed in the way and he just hit through it. He gained NO advantage from his efforts to move the debris around his ball. Sometimes you can move debris that is touching your ball without the ball moving and sometimes you can’t, but I don’t really see a problem with someone very gently moving the debris, next to their ball, to ascertain if the ball will move or not and the ball shows miniscule signs of movement, but effectively stays in position.
It appeared to me that he just lightly touched the stick, to ascertain this and noticed some minuscule movement, which he genuinely believed to be ‘oscillation’ and realised that he’d better just leave the stick there.
We ALL try to gain an advantage in certain situations: Moving stones in bunkers, brushing grass cuttings or sand away on the green, moving any debris next to our ball or on our swing path.
The ruling has been made and he’s accepted it, in annoyance yes, but he’s accepted it.
Dave
Sep 17, 2013 at 5:07 am
Where do you suggest we draw the line? 1″ or maybe 1′ ? The rules have lines that have to be drawn somewhere, inevitably there will be a liner. Or a situation that doesn’t seem fair, but that’s the rule. You can’t move your ball, or if you attempt to move an impediment and do so it’s a penalty – fair or not – it’s a known risk. As far as the Justin Rose thing, unfortunate, yes. Require a rule change? NO! Don’t make a practice swing behind your ball, or, if you do DON’T TAKE A DIVOT!! That’s bad etiquette anyway. The rules aren’t unfair, they may seem archaic but personally I think they’re fine (except for not allowing the tapping down of spike marks or moving the ball from a divot in the fairway).
JK
Sep 15, 2013 at 2:15 am
it’s sad that we’re talking about this instead of furyk’s 59.
Ben Alberstadt
Sep 15, 2013 at 11:55 am
http://www.golfwrx.com/136235/furyk-shoots-59-at-the-bmw-championship/
http://www.golfwrx.com/115618/jim-furyk-witb/
paul
Sep 15, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Nice Ben.
Fred
Sep 18, 2013 at 5:01 pm
DITO!! The best reply on this blog so far. Well said, JK.
GSark
Sep 15, 2013 at 1:40 am
It’s this type of situation that causes me the most embarrassment around my non-golfing friends. When I show up to work on Monday I will once again get the jibs and jabs about how ridiculous the rules can be, but also how fully grown adults can get so wound up and uptight over whether a golf ball “moved” or “oscillated”. Then I’ll have to hear about how Webb Simpson lost the Zurich Classic because the wind made his ball move, and then of course about Dustin Johnson losing the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits because he touched the ground with his club in a fairway bunker.
I applaud the USGA for changing the rules that cost both Webb and Dustin those tournaments. They were stupid rules, and in each case the two players golf balls were in no better position after the incidents. Neither man was trying to increase his position. In each case the only real violation was to their careers and to intelligence.
What happened with Tiger was an accident at best, and a whole lot about nothing. I hope it doesn’t cost him the FedEx cup, but if it does maybe then we will re-examine this low brow system that is in place.
I just saw what happened to Justin Rose…. unreal. While taking a practice a small divot cam up and hit hiss ball, which was at least 15′ in front of him. The ball moved a quarter turn, and he was assessed a penalty. This could cost him a chance at the Fed Ex cup.
I just don’t think that we should hand out the death penalty for jaywalking.
Jack
Sep 16, 2013 at 4:36 am
I would never practice swing behind the ball. But then again, I think if it’s not on purpose, he should be able to replace the ball to its original position without penalty, negating any advantage gained (the 1/2″?)
nip
Sep 15, 2013 at 1:28 am
plausible? why does tiger get the benefit of the doubt? remember- this is a man-child who was a serial liar to his wife and kids for years. hard for me to believe the ego that fueled that deception doesn’t carry over to his golf game.
Hans wimmer
Sep 15, 2013 at 1:06 pm
And you know Tiger was a serial liar? You know for a fact that he didn’t have an agreement with his wife and some thing may have changed that agreement? I may not agree with what he did, but that is really none of my business, that is between him and his family. I pay attention to Tiger for his golf. It’s enjoyable to watch. I’m sure you’re the type of person to play strictly by the rules. You must be a barrel of fun to have as a partner.
nip
Sep 15, 2013 at 3:56 pm
didn’t he apologize for lying to his family during his press conference?
his transgressions are none of my business either, but that doesn’t exclude me from having opinions about him as a human being and golfer.
and- when i golf, i don’t keep score 90% of the time. i could care less about strict adherence to the rules of the game.
but that’s just me…
Hunterdog
Sep 15, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Then you are not playing golf. You are having, I hope, a nice day in nature.
nip
Sep 15, 2013 at 11:11 pm
1) That’s a joke.
2) Thank you, I usually do.
Tony
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:34 am
I wonder if the media would scrutinize this so much if it had happened to Phil?
I for one believe him. Soon he will be the winningest Golfer ever. He doesn’t have to cheat to win. He is just flat out better than any Golfer out there.
On a side note, is it me or does Johnny Miller really dislike Tiger?
Jason
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:27 am
His ball moved!!!!!! It’s a penalty, move on.
naflack
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:17 am
When you need a camera with such capabilities to see the infraction it’s understandable how any golfer could miss the movement. It’s nothing I’d lose any sleep over…
JDS
Sep 15, 2013 at 8:28 am
There is something here that presents a different dynamic…called vantage point. This footage shows the ball moving slightly in a down to the right shift. Camera vantage point , low and head on, can see this. However, the players eye line can be something very different, perhaps it looked as if it turned slight on its axis. Which maybe where the oscillating comes from. Remember the Augusta-gate drop? A photographer analyzed the two images shot from the same vantage point and it showed his drop wasn’t yards away, but rather several inches away. I’d prefer the rules stay “live” with the players and rules officials and not with call-ins or post play video review.
naflack
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:50 pm
+1
Robert
Sep 20, 2013 at 4:18 pm
Well said, sir. It’s really unfair to him because I’m sure the other and practically unknown players on the tour have had this happen, but never had a call-in about them because nobody follows their every move with a camera.
Justin
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:00 am
It could have moved it could have ocilated, either way this has happened to every golfer that has played competitively. Usually you are so focused on the object that you are trying to move away from your ball that when the ball does move or ocilate you barely catch it moving or it’s obvious. Tiger carries himself with integrity on the golf course, off is another story (fire hydrant) I think he genuinely didn’t think the ball moved, I mean even with the high speed cameras its tough to tell if and how much the ball moved from its original positon and in full speed it doesn’t look like the ball moved from its original position. Golf is hard enough just ask Justin rose who took a practice swing in the fairway! behind the ball, took a divot, divot hits the ball, ball moves. Did he try to move the ball? Absolutely no, but it moved closer to the hole. Tiger in the woods in no way improved his position or lie (debatable- pine cone is tough to hit through) but again if the ball just ocilated, play ball. He made 6, not a hero par save.
Matt
Sep 14, 2013 at 11:57 pm
Yeah this is what happens when your every move is watched and recorded. Sometimes it sucks to be Tiger!
deerslayer
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:25 am
What? Tiger tried to cheat plain and simple. How ANYONE can defend him NOT calling a penalty on himself is just as wrong as Tiger not doing it. This is GOLF. YOU PLAY BY RULES AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE HONEST. It is a disgrace that the worlds #1 player tried to CHEAT. I will never look at him the same way. Once a cheater, ALWAYS a cheater.
John
Sep 15, 2013 at 3:06 am
If you pay attention to the footage, when tiger touches the stick the ball rotates toward him and when he lets go of the stick the ball rotates slightly back toward its original position. The ball did drop a little bit but there is no way tiger could have noticed such a minuscule change in its elevation. To judge him so quickly and make that conclusion without knowing and understanding all the factors in play says something about your character sir.
JB
Sep 16, 2013 at 2:16 am
+1
Josh Lymon
Sep 16, 2013 at 5:57 pm
+1
Fred
Sep 18, 2013 at 4:47 pm
The view Tiger had of the ball and the view the videographer had were completely different. When was the last time you saw a cameraman get down on his knees and shoot through the bushes to get a shot of Phil, Rory, or Adam clearing brush away from their ball. I’m sure the last thing on the videographer’s mind when he was filming Tiger was the integrity of the game. It’s like Jim Furyk said – “I’d hate to be Tiger.”
Robert
Sep 20, 2013 at 4:13 pm
John is exactly right. Deerslayer- it’s clear you’re amongst the crowd out to demonize Tiger for his every move. From competitive playing experience at a pretty high-level, if a penalty was called on Tiger in that situation, I should have called a penalty on myself many times. So many times when grounding your club within inches of the ball it’ll oscillate. The human eye doesn’t have the zoom option like a camera does. Just think about it and think about how often you call a penalty on yourself for this. I’d say that nobody on here ever does and it’s likely their balls moves just as Tiger’s did from time to time.
Christian
Sep 27, 2013 at 1:21 am
+1
Dan
Sep 15, 2013 at 4:25 am
Wow, a little bit obtuse there.
Killed one too many deer, perhaps.
That, sir, is just plain murder.
Keydogg
Sep 15, 2013 at 4:38 am
Your blatant hate for/jealousy of Tiger shines through your post. It’s pretty obvious he didn’t try to cheat, the world number one doesn’t need to do that when he’s already the best player in the world right now.
MWP
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:24 pm
and your love for tiger shows in your post…. how can you be so certain that he didn’t TRY to get away with something that he knew was wrong? I’m not saying that’s what happened, but it certainly is possible. Just cuz he is the best player in the world doesn’t mean he is a good person who would call himself out…
i have no idea how you can say he didn’t try to cheat… are you tigers conscious?
Steve
Sep 17, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Because it is probably safe to assume he isn’t that stupid. He knows every camera on the course is on him at pretty much all times.
Fred
Sep 18, 2013 at 4:55 pm
Why cheat when you know it won’t do you any good? Tiger’s attempt to “cheat,” as you put it, got him four or rive feet out of the brush – that’s it. Bobby Jones wouldn’t have done any better. It’s a new week – time to move on to something else.
Dave
Sep 16, 2013 at 9:15 am
You couldn’t hold tigers jock so just keep your mouth shut…
Once a murderer, always a murderer you deer slayer. I will never look at you the same way.
Andrew
Sep 16, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Relax.
Johan
Sep 17, 2013 at 3:00 am
HAHA, you are just stupid.
J
Sep 15, 2013 at 12:46 pm
He stopped touching the stick because he saw the ball moved and knew it would move further if he continued moving the stick. I don’t know if he believed it to be a penalty move or not, but he probably should have asked someone just to make sure. You’d think after a similar experience of continuing play without asking at the Masters with the same 2-stroke penalty result, that he would have just checked in with an official to be certain.
goaliescott
Sep 16, 2013 at 2:58 pm
Agree on this. He started to pick up a stick and the ball moved. He immediately froze and decided not to pick up the stick. He knew the ball moved.
And yes, it does suck to have that kind of scrutiny…
tdbach
Sep 18, 2013 at 3:30 pm
The ball moved, but did it change position? It settled slightly, which one could argue is a change in position, but was that apparent to Tiger, looking down? And even after looking at the video one could argue that the downward settling doesn’t constitute a material change in position.
Steve
Sep 15, 2013 at 9:43 pm
I always wonder how often this happens to other players without anyone making any sort of deal about it. The guy has a camera on him literally every second he’s out there. It sucks, but it all comes with the fame. He took the penalty, moved on, then put up a solid number Saturday to get him back into the fight. End of story
Fred
Sep 18, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Couldn’t have said it better, Steve. Time to move on.
Tony
Sep 18, 2013 at 8:27 am
Yeah this is what happens when you are a cheat, sucks to be Tiger.
He clearly doesn’t know the rules of golf so maybe he also doesn’t know the meaning of the word “oscillate”