Tour News

“Lexi Thompson Rule”: USGA, R&A announce new Decision limiting power of video evidence

Published

7 years ago

Apr 25, 2017

This doesn’t usually happen.

In the wake of the public furor surrounding Lexi Thompson’s four-stroke penalty during the ANA Inspiration, the USGA and R&A are making a swift amendment to the Rules of Golf…or at least a specific interpretation.

“I can’t speak historically,” USGA Senior Director, Rules of Golf, Thomas Pagel said, “but certainly in my time, it’s the fastest we’ve acted.”

New Decision 34-3/10 seeks to limit the persuasiveness of video evidence, and instead emphasize a player’s “reasonable standard of judgement,” one of the cornerstones of the game.

Players will not be held to the “the degree of precision that can sometimes be provided by video technology,” according to the new decision. So, for example, Lexi Thompson, who believed she returned her ball to the appropriate spot, would not be held to a different standard only visible on television. “So long as the player does what can reasonably be expected under the circumstances to make an accurate determination, the player’s reasonable judgment will be accepted, even if later shown to be inaccurate by the use of video evidence,” the Decision states.

“We are trying to make sure that players that are on television are not held to a higher standard than others playing the game,” said Pagel. “Television evidence can reveal facts that as a human being you could not reasonably have known in the playing of the game. A player could do everything he or she could to get it right, but video evidence could still show that they got it a little wrong. And the only reason we can know they got it a little wrong is because we’ve been able to slow down, pause, rewind, replay, all the things that the player on the golf course doesn’t have the advantage of doing.”

Additionally, the Decision’s emphasis on what is apparent to the “naked eye” is influenced by Anna Nordqvist’s penalty at the U.S. Women’s Open last year. Slow-motion video revealed she displaced sand in a bunker during her backswing, even though Nordqvist was adamant she had not. Under the new Decision, the infraction “could not reasonably have been seen with the naked eye and the player was not otherwise aware of the potential breach, the player will be deemed not to have breached the Rules, even when video technology shows otherwise.”

Of course, there is no mention in Tuesday’s announcement about the other two hot-button issues of late: viewer call-ins and the two-stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard when an infraction is determined after the fact.

Reportedly, however, the USGA is looking into it.

“Everything about television call-ins is on the table, including should we take any at all,” Pagel said. “The Rules of Golf, and committees applying the Rules of Golf, currently treat all evidence as evidence, regardless of the source. Should it be broken down so that evidence can only come from someone on the golf course versus someone off the golf course? Should the committee be the only ones who reveal fact through television? These are all questions if we were to react quickly and make a decision here, I’m not sure we would be fully aware of the consequences those outcomes. We might create even greater controversy than we’ve seen today.”

Possibly. But plenty of folks in professional golf’s locker rooms and perched on bar stools expect action rather than concern about “greater controversy.” However, Decision 34-3/10 will surely be one of the best received additions to supplement to the Rules of Golf in recent memory.

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55 Comments

Frank Xavier

Apr 27, 2017 at 11:33 pm

I have peripherally followed this particular incident and the reactions and finally the rule change to deal with the matter. What dismays me about the discussion is the nit picky nature of it. In a time when golf is struggling to get traction with ordinary people, why do we need a public discussion which ultimately sounds more like an IRA audit or a witness box cross examination. This discussion is not good for golf. So, what do we do about it to make sure it goes away permanently and the issue can be dealt with very simply ? My suggestion is that whenever folks are playing at a rules level where they want to have very high ball positional compliance, we have GPS chipped balls whose location can be verified in real time and an app on the phones of the Caddy and rules officials which automatically verifies locational accuracy within whatever tolerance has been established for the venue/tour/tournament. All data is in the cloud and can be checked and verified by any duly authorized tournament official anytime. Bingo, this issue goes away for good and all the quibbling gibber jabber with it. Lets move golf in the same direction that most other major league sports are going in relationship to leveraging technology and the 21st century.

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H

Apr 27, 2017 at 9:04 pm

My coin is bigger than your coin

Reply Report comment
James G

Apr 27, 2017 at 8:17 am

There is not one single player alive that can replace a marked ball with the exact precision required to be in the same exact spot. It’s impossible. So why is a 1/2 inch or so worse than say 1/64th of an inch? If someone is a rules stickler, then that 1/64th, which would be imperceptible, would be cheating just as much as the 1/2 inch since neither are precisely back in the same location. What this rule is intended to do is stop the know-it-all armchair rules officials from calling in and affecting a tournament. If a playing partner suspects cheating then it is incumbent on that person to say something then or request a real rules official and state the case.

Reply Report comment
- Rex
  
  Apr 27, 2017 at 10:34 am
  
  You put the ball in front of the marker. No it’s not going to be exact. But if done correctly it sure as hell isnt going to look anywhere close to what Lexi did. Go watch the video again.
  
  Reply Report comment
Nath

Apr 27, 2017 at 4:13 am

Sensible rule change,
Lexi still cheated and she knows i, moved it out of a depression/ spike mark on the green intently. I come across this delima virtually every green where i play, i get frustrated,but cop it sweet and dont improve the lie.

Reply Report comment
- Rex
  
  Apr 27, 2017 at 10:34 am
  
  Yes
  
  Reply Report comment
P

Apr 27, 2017 at 3:37 am

I am going to use one of them massive coin things the size of a 6-inch Compact Disc, and mark my ball with that, and then when I go to replace my ball, I will shift the ball somewhere along the edge of that marker just like Lexi did and nobody can do anything about, as I am not intentionally replacing it where I want, I’m just replacing the ball somewhere on the edge of the marker that I am using since nobody can stop me from placing just somewhere on the edge of the marker like she did.

Reply Report comment
- gunmetal
  
  Apr 27, 2017 at 6:11 pm
  
  If your playing partners notice it they have every right to call you out on it. Plus it speaks volumes about your integrity as you’re intentionally trying to cheat. There is no evidence that suggests that Lexi was trying to cheat. She didn’t mark it any closer to the hole. If it was in a depression, she could have repaired it. There weren’t any spike marks anywhere. As Phil indicated, like so many, she got a “little loose” with how she marked.
  
  Reply Report comment
Duncan Castles

Apr 26, 2017 at 2:03 pm

The decision to ignore video evidence that could not be reasonably seen with the naked eye is a sensible one. The ‘reasonable standard of judgement’ decision is potentially dangerous. It would help if the USGA and R&A made it clear that by a ‘reasonable standard of judgement’ Thompson merited the penalty for moving her ball closer to the hole.
If the governing bodies accept that what she did was OK because in her reasonable judgement she had replaced the ball in the correct spot we will have a problem on our hands going forward.

Reply Report comment
Gordy

Apr 26, 2017 at 11:16 am

I wrote the USGA after DJ’s something similar on why they should change the rules. What makes golf such a great game is that the pros play the same game we as us pions do. Fans calling in and cameras just ruin it and hurts the intergrity of the game.

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Double Mocha Man

Apr 26, 2017 at 10:17 am

The secret of ball-marking is to put the coin to the side of the ball and then when replacing the ball move it to the other side of the coin. Re-mark enough in this fashion and you can turn a 3 foot downhill putt into an uphill putt.

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jd57

Apr 26, 2017 at 10:09 am

Viewers should have no decision in professional sports. There are officials all over, if it is not caught then o’well. That some couch jockey could call in and cost a professional athlete hundreds of thousands of dollars is ludicrous.

Reply Report comment
Mat

Apr 26, 2017 at 6:11 am

Whether you think she cheated or not, what is the margin of error to you for ball replacement? 1mm? 1cm? 1inch?

Reply Report comment
AndersUK

Apr 26, 2017 at 5:48 am

I’m not convinced Lexi cheated.

For me it looks like the mental machinery broke down. In life we carry out many tasks with automaticity and without really assigning much conscious attention to the task in hand. For example, changing gear on a car. When something changes during that task the autonomy can break down causing instant confusion. For example, a crunched gear change will throw you out of the state of automaticity and momentarily confuse you, usually leaving you with an instant decision to make whilst still in a confused state.

Lexi, like every other pro golfer, has marked so many golf balls that it is automatic. When she marked the ball from the side it threw her off and the automatic task broke down because she wasn’t in her normal position. She picked up the ball and immediately attempted to replace the ball in line with the marker and hole as she has done many thousands of times AUTOMATICALLY. That instant she hesitated because she realised something wasn’t right – i.e. that wasn’t the original position and then attempted to move it closer to the marker. That hesitation is clear to see on the video footage.

No one will ever know for sure if it was deliberate but I know factually that this type of event happens to us all in some way or another. We carry out many daily tasks on automatic, something changes or goes wrong and then we suddenly “wake up”.

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- DrRob1963
  
  Apr 26, 2017 at 6:00 pm
  
  I agree! Further, no one has shown a replay of her replacing her ball inaccurately at any other time, or on any other hole, in any other event. So I believe Lexi when she said that it was not intentional.
  
  Reply Report comment
Paul Dunn

Apr 26, 2017 at 3:59 am

I’m certain she cheated. I can understand some asking for just two Stoke on, not 4, but if you believe like me it was deliberate, then I think she should have been DQ’d.

However, the way it came to light isn’t great, and the subsequent actions a day after left a bad taste in the mouth.

For me I have two questions still.

1. How can we make sure that cheating gets punished?
2. Should call-ins be allowed?

The answer to 2. is a no from me. No call ins. I’d also argue that any punishment needs to be implemented before card is signed and accepted or it’s too late also.

As for question 1, I’m not sure the rule change solves for that. Perhaps cameras can still show these incidents and players are ‘outed’ if not penalised. Maybe that will put the real cheats off.

Reply Report comment
- MSchad
  
  Apr 26, 2017 at 8:26 am
  
  What is cheating. When Phil voiced his opinion on this, he stated everyone does it to some degree. So my question…. if not placing the ball exactly is accepted by all, is it cheating?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - The dude
    
    Apr 26, 2017 at 12:50 pm
    
    You think the USga accepts it?….since when are the players the governing body??
    
    Reply Report comment
H

Apr 25, 2017 at 11:41 pm

No more close-ups of balls being marked or replaced on greens from now on TV, that’s what this means. And TV cameras will do their damnedest to make sure to not show it.
So I’m going to mark my ball like Lexi and move it an inch away from what I don’t like and get a better angle to the cup on my 1 foot putt to make sure I can make it

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- Caroline
  
  Apr 26, 2017 at 3:11 am
  
  Only problem with that is you more then likely will take forever doing it and still have a 50% chance of missing the putt….follow guys like that almost every round.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - H
    
    Apr 26, 2017 at 3:35 am
    
    So then you increase the likelihood of making more of them by doing it on every putt
    
    Reply Report comment
- Grizz01
  
  Apr 26, 2017 at 12:36 pm
  
  You are not fooling us. You already do it.
  
  Reply Report comment
Frank

Apr 25, 2017 at 11:07 pm

She got caught cheating. Any other sport she’d be DQed and be serving a suspension. Really sucks the way that it went down but got what she deserves.

Reply Report comment
- ROY
  
  Apr 26, 2017 at 2:49 pm
  
  Trying to gain that +/- half inch advantage
  
  Reply Report comment
The dude

Apr 25, 2017 at 9:36 pm

I wanna know who called in….was it Bartman from Chicago??

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moses

Apr 25, 2017 at 7:20 pm

Biggest highway robbery in the history of golf. At worst it should’ve been a 2 stroke penalty.

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setter02

Apr 25, 2017 at 7:20 pm

Likely closer to it being people like you are around, thus destroying golf. Keep living in the past and you’ll soon become part of it…

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- Anthony
  
  Apr 25, 2017 at 7:56 pm
  
  He is the past!
  
  Reply Report comment
Lowell Madanes

Apr 25, 2017 at 5:32 pm

Good work. Should of happened a while ago. Rules are meant to be changed hence additions and new rules.

Reply Report comment
- Michael
  
  Apr 25, 2017 at 5:33 pm
  
  Not to protect cheaters though.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Shayne
    
    Apr 26, 2017 at 3:32 am
    
    And who might be cheating?
    
    Reply Report comment
Michael

Apr 25, 2017 at 5:32 pm

I’m just going to say it:
Lexi Thompson is a CHEATER and a disgrace to the game. She should be banned from the Tour for a year (min) as an example.

Reply Report comment
- Anthony
  
  Apr 25, 2017 at 7:54 pm
  
  You sir are a very rusty old shed tool that has no use anymore!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Michael
    
    Apr 25, 2017 at 10:31 pm
    
    Way to defend a cheater and a liar. That must feel wonderful. She cheated, she knows it, and every honest grown up knows it.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Paul
      
      Apr 26, 2017 at 1:58 am
      
      Sure didn’t look like cheating to me. If you move the ball 1″ on a 3″ putt. It would change your start line by maybe a degree. Pretty hard to get an advantage out of that.
      
      Reply Report comment
- Ell
  
  Apr 26, 2017 at 11:42 am
  
  My father-in-law says that Tiger Woods should have been banned from the tour when a group of fans moved a 10 ton boulder in Arizona that obstructed his swing. So what you want to do to Lexi should have been done to Tiger. Since when is a 10 ton boulder a movable object anyway?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Michael
    
    Apr 26, 2017 at 12:18 pm
    
    The 2-ton boulder was not embedded. It was moveable. No penalty if Tiger and Fluff can move it. However, soliciting/accepting help should have been a penalty. Then signing for a lower score should have been a DQ. Yes, if Tiger moved his ball 1/2-1 inch to avoid something in his line, he should have been penalized, then DQ’d for signing for a lower score. Lexi should consider herself very lucky that she was allowed to take a penalty for signing for a lower score, and not getting her cheating a** thrown off the Tour for bringing disgrace into the professional ranks.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Anthony
      
      Apr 26, 2017 at 6:29 pm
      
      Got a big bee in your bonnet over this haven’t you? The rusty old tool continues to have his own value lol….
      
      Reply Report comment
Desmond

Apr 25, 2017 at 3:22 pm

I think they ought to make it retroactive and previous to Saturday’s 3rd round at the ANA.

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Jay

Apr 25, 2017 at 3:19 pm

General rule of thumb: if a change to the rules is going to invoke nearly universal praise, make the change.

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Dat

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:50 pm

Good. Totally unfair process they had before.

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CarterDog350

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:50 pm

I agree w Phil.
Great to see right course of action be taken immediately.
Go win the next major Lexi…..Just like DJ.

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Tom 1

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:39 pm

Good!

Reply Report comment
getoffyourhighhorses

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:31 pm

So many rule snobs, all that video evidence, why don’t you show me the spike mark you all keep talking about? Anyone that thinks call ins are good for the game need their head examined. Unreal.

Reply Report comment
- new stuff!!
  
  Apr 25, 2017 at 3:11 pm
  
  no one agrees that call ins are good for the game, there should be no call ins, BUT a lot of people agree that she should have been penalized 2 strokes, not 4. the video evidence that she did not return the ball to the original spot is very clear.
  
  Reply Report comment
Boobsy McKiss

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:21 pm

First world problems. LOL.

Reply Report comment
RDC

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:18 pm

Too little, too late for some.

Reply Report comment
Phil Mickelson

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:15 pm

Give Lexi the ANA trophy!

Reply Report comment
mitch

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:01 pm

Costco golf balls back in stock!!

Reply Report comment
- new stuff!!
  
  Apr 25, 2017 at 2:06 pm
  
  ????
  
  Reply Report comment
  - mitch
    
    Apr 25, 2017 at 2:07 pm
    
    they are back on the website for sale!
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Mad-Mex
      
      Apr 25, 2017 at 9:37 pm
      
      Limit 2, just ordered them
      
      Reply Report comment
new stuff!!

Apr 25, 2017 at 1:56 pm

take it to the grave Lexi. I like how she said she didn’t intend to as if intent matters, it just makes you sound defensive and guilty. Anna Nordqvist’s reaction was a lot more believable. You know what Lexi – I didn’t intend to double hit that chip, and I surely didn’t intend to hit the ball ob or in the water hazard.

Reply Report comment
Rex

Apr 25, 2017 at 1:53 pm

Is everyone here on the same page that Lexi Thompson did cheat? She got up to her two foot putt saw a spike mark then moved her ball or something. She does this for a living and couldn’t seem to find the same spot? I think not. As for the person calling in/emailing BS. But cheaters don’t win! Life lesson learned

Reply Report comment
- new stuff!!
  
  Apr 25, 2017 at 2:00 pm
  
  agreed… she lifted the ball like 2 inches off the ground and then placed it back down… it actually looked like she was about to tap in, then saw a mark, and thought let me just move my ball out of the way… if you listen to the audio of the announcer, he thought she was about to tap in and then changed her mind and decided to mark the ball.
  
  Reply Report comment

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