Opinion & Analysis
Two ways Tiger could have won and what we learned
“If I shot 65, I thought I could win it,” Tiger Woods said after his final round of the 2013 Masters.
The world’s No.1-ranked golfer went into the tournament with the kind of confidence, playing level and health that haven’t been seen in him for perhaps 10 years. But on Sunday evening he sat in fourth place, snake bit just like so many times in recent years.
Woods has crossed Hogan Bridge many times in public view, but after his latest in a series of near misses I’m starting to wonder if he may have walked under Greg Norman’s Ladder at some point.
For Woods, the operative word for the 2013 Masters is “if.” He was correct that if he has shot 65 he would have won. But the weekend had a couple of other “ifs” to ponder.
If Tiger crushes the par-5s he wins.
The holes at Augusta National Golf Course have names like Azalea, Rosebud and Carolina Cherry — names that reflect serenity and rare beauty. The par-5 No. 8 is named Yellow Jasmine, the par-5 No. 15 is called Firethorn. Woods might think that they would be better described as Black Cat and Broken Mirror.
He has built a career on devouring par-5s and nowhere is this more true than at Augusta. In his four victories, Woods has never been worse than 6-under under par on the par 5s, including the mind-numbing 13-under on the par 5s in 1997.
But Friday at No. 15, Woods made one of the most famous “8’s” in golf history. On Saturday on No. 8, his short par putt took almost two complete tours around the hole before the ball decided that gravity could kiss its butt. Tiger was just 4-under this year on the par-5s; if had executed better on Augusta’s most generous holes he would likely have achieved his goal.
If Tiger doesn’t hit the pin in 15, the golf world stays on its axis.
When the golf world went to bed on Friday night, it was filled with images of the No. 1 player in the world amongst the leaders, poised to make a weekend charge for his fifth green jacket and first since 2005. It awoke to the news that there was a storm brewing in Augusta, Ga., that had nothing to do with the weather.
The bombshell news that Woods might be disqualified for an improper drop on No. 15 during the second round ignited a global conversation that had people from every corner of the world weighing in. From Peter Jacobson to Piers Morgan, everyone had an opinion about what had exactly had happened and what exactly should be the consequences.
The potential outcomes for Tiger were all bad from the moment that ball hit the pin on No. 15 approach. According to Rule 16-1,Woods’ options were to either use the designated drop area, drop from as close as possible to the place where he hit the first shot or drop along the line where the ball last entered the hazard, keeping the hole on that line. Woods chose a kind of hybrid, dropping a few yards back along the line of where the ball first entered the hazard. He hit a shot pin high to within 4 feet of the hole, earning praise not only for executing the shot but also for maintaining his composure.
Tiger spoke to reporters after his round without knowing that potential ramifications. He stated openly and honestly that after considering and rejecting the option to hit from the designated drop area, he had moved back a couple of yards from where he had hit his third shot to give himself a margin of error. After hearing that, rules officials determined that Woods might not have dropped the ball as close as possible. It was only at that point that officials thought it would be a good idea to talk to Woods, who said the same thing that he had said to the media. That led officials to decide to give him a two-stroke penalty and not to DQ him.
Questions Asked
The issues are complex but also quite clear. How did the infraction go undetected by on-course officials? Did Tiger Woods receive preferential treatment? And most importantly, how can a travesty like this be prevented?
Let’s start with the officials.
I spoke to people at the highest levels of the golf industry who were incredulous that there was not some level of intervention from the officials on the course at the time of the incident. They assured me that there is a battalion of rules officials from a variety of golf’s ruling bodies on the course at any given time; what’s more, because of it’s significance and the water present, there were likely at least two rules officials within shouting distance at the time of Woods’ infraction.
Surely one of those pairs of eyes should have recognized that Tiger was about to follow a shot into cold water with a jump into hot water. In every other sport, players are expected to play and officials are expected to officiate. I know that players are expected to know and play by the rules. But there is integrity, and then there is doing your job. During last year’s officials strike the NFL found out the cost of having amateur officials determining the outcome of professional sporting contests.
With millions of eyes watching and millions of dollars on the line, golf needs to get its officiating house in order; to leave any key call up to the knowledge of the players is unfair and inappropriate at this level of competition. Players will still call penalties on themselves, but they shouldn’t have to. Woods was within the rules as he understood them. To suggest something else was afoot seems petty and pointless. When questioned by officials, he was honest and he took his penalty like a man.
Next is the issue of preferential treatment.
The controversy was started by a call to officials by a television viewer; Rule 33-7 was introduced as a way to deal with the fact that television viewers have a say in what goes on in a professional event. The rule is meant to give officials the opportunity to address an issue that has already been addressed without giving a player the death penalty (a DQ) after the fact.
The rule states that a “save” can be made at the discretion of the rules committee, and it is the word discretion that causes the opportunity for conflict.
Saturday’s ruling is by far the most significant use of the rule to save a player from disqualification, and the general question amongst current and former players is whether or not the rules committee would have acted in their favor in similar circumstance. Judging from what is in the Twitterverse, the answer seems to be that they feel they would not have received the same tender mercies that Woods received. But that is conjecture; the fact is that any and all players can and should benefit from rule 33-7; the fact that the most famous player in the world is among the first should ensure that in the future all players would be given the same consideration because of the notoriety that this ruling received.
Some have suggested that Woods should have been disqualified or should have withdrawn from competition for signing a wrong scorecard. But rules officials knew about the controversy before he signed his scorecard. To me it is inexplicable that they did not consult Woods about the issue before he signed his scorecard. Had they done so, they could have assessed the penalty and Woods would have signed an infuriating but incorrect scorecard and we would have had a different conversation.
Lessons Learned
No matter how you feel about what happened on Friday and Saturday, there should be agreement on the point that it’s time to stop managing this problem and start solving it. Golf needs to have a scoring system in place to review questionable calls. How about having a review official in the TV booth the same way that the NFL has one? On-course officials can flag calls for a review that would be completed before the player’s round is completed and an incorrect scorecard is signed.
The problem here is that only the players that are good enough or are doing well enough to merit television coverage would be subject to this review, but these are the only cases where viewer call-ins are an issue. Speaking of viewer call-in, let’s once and for all end the practice of taking outside calls that affect a sporting event. He thought of a viewer call affecting the outcome in any other professional sport is so absurd as to draw laughter. In other sports, players and officials both have to take credit for their excellence and responsibility for their mistakes. Golf should not be the exception.
Lastly, why not have an official score that is kept by the officials? An official digital scorecard can be kept for every foursome, which would mean that the chance of signing for a wrong scorecard would be thing of the past. There are many wonderful traditions in golf; having a player who has left his or her heart on soul on the course only to have that effort wiped away because of bad arithmetic is not one of them. When it happens it not only breaks the heart of existing fans, it drives away potential new fans who rightly find the practice brutal and senseless. The time has come to let players play and let scorers score.
Usually, I am in favor of anything that brings global attention to golf, and the Masters is an event that does it every year because of its beauty and its tradition. It’s unfortunate that when the game should have been taking a star turn, it became mired in a controversy that confused and agitated the lovers of the game and confounded casual fans who wondered how so many smart people could get themselves so fouled up.
What we do know is that this episode opened up a new chapter in the game. Golfers will likely now want to know the rules better, which will help speed up everyday play. And hopefully golf will use this as a wake-up call to take a look at modernizing the scoring and rules process, which is much more crucial to the growth to the growth of the game than how long a putter is.
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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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tnuts
Apr 17, 2013 at 9:25 am
The only question I have is what about the other players in the field? How do you call in a rules infraction on them? Viewer call ins on the rules is quite ridiculous considering the amount of money and stress involved with playing in such high profile event.
Kevin S, PGA
Apr 16, 2013 at 10:51 pm
I couldn’t disagree more..I think signing a correct scorecard and being responsible for it are as much of a tradition of the game as anything else. I also think that part of what makes golf such a. Great game is players calling penalties on themselves and the honor system. Take that away and a lot of tradition goes with it. I do agree however with eliminating the practice of fans calling in with rules disputes.
Kevin S, PGA Professional, Park Ridge, NJ
Joe C
Apr 16, 2013 at 9:45 am
If a person is going to play golf in competition for tons of money and notariety I think they should know the rules of the game better than anyone. If a player does not know them and get caught breaking one it is not the fault of any referee, official, or committee, or TV viewer, it is the player’s fault. Anybody who believes otherwise does not understand how golf is meant to be played at its highest level.
I believe Tiger unintentionally broke the rule but still should have applied the proper penalty to himself once he was aware of the infraction. And the penalty for signing an incorrect card is disqualification, not two strokes.
Having an official scorekeeper would be OK as long as a player still had to sign his name to his card.
Chris
Apr 16, 2013 at 9:21 am
It was a tough break but it is what it is. He got unlucky but to say it cost him the tournament is debateable. He had several other chances to make up strokes and didn’t take advantage. He would be the first person to tell you that. Eyes set on the US Open now.
Ty
Apr 16, 2013 at 8:12 am
Good point Tommy – I can’t think of a better situational shot than Cabrera’s off the top of my head. That man certainly has some cajones. What amazes me is that Tiger’s B game is almost capable of winning majors. If his ball had never hit the flagstick on 15, he would have ended up 4 shots better and in a 3-way playoff at 9 under par.
Steve
Apr 16, 2013 at 1:28 pm
I would go as far to say he probably would have ended up 5 strokes better. That was one of those shots that looked like it would have stopped right next to the pin for an easy birdie putt.
TWShoot67
Apr 16, 2013 at 5:10 pm
IF, IF , IF. we all know the old saying if my aunt had …. she’s be my uncle. The fact is we’ll never know how this all would have went down if things were handled correctly by officials. It has to mess with your mindset when you go to bed with one score then wake up to find your being penalized 2 shots. Not saying tiger didn’t deserve the 2 shot penalty. Just saying what IF…… LOL
Part 2 IF Tiger never hit the flag he may have gone on a little run and went into Saturday with a lead and we all know what happens most times when Tiger’s in that position. IF IF IF. Tiger will be fine. Now the rules committee needs to stop the outside agency (phone callers) NOW! Arnold, Jack, and Ben never dealt with that at all during their round in the middle of a MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP!
Tommy
Apr 16, 2013 at 12:30 am
The 2 shot penalty did not prevent him from winning. He would still have missed the playoff by 2 shots. If he had made a “weekend charge” maybe he would have been closer. There was no weekend charge. Even without the 2 shot penalty on Friday’s score he didn’t break 70 on any day. He simply didn’t play well enough to win.
On a more positive note, has there ever been a better situational shot than Cabrera’s 7 iron on 18, knowing he had to birdy to tie.
Ty
Apr 15, 2013 at 11:42 pm
Also, “unknowingly” breaking the rule would qualify as an inadvertent mistake you moron.
Ty
Apr 15, 2013 at 11:41 pm
Jay – 33-7 was used in this instance to save Tiger from the committee’s mistake. Standard procedure on a call-in penalty like that is to review the potential infraction with the player in question before he signs his scorecard in the scorer’s tent. In this case, they reviewed the potential infraction on there own and deemed that there had been no infraction. If they had simply followed protocol and confronted Tiger, he would have added the 2 strokes before he signed and there would be no discussion whatsoever.
Steve
Apr 16, 2013 at 1:25 pm
This
Jay
Apr 15, 2013 at 11:00 pm
I thought the purpose of 33-7 was to save a golfer from an inadvertent mistake. Knowingly or not, Tiger broke the rule to gain an advantage. He wanted 4 yards off the shot, so he moved back 2 yards and took 2 yard off with the swing.
Dalton
Apr 15, 2013 at 5:16 pm
A lot of people are up in arms about the call in rulings. The Dustin Johnson ruling was a call in too, and I don’t remember there being a big fuss then. Maybe I just don’t remember it, but for everyone crying about tiger getting preferential treatment this would definitely be a case. When a rule negatively effects him there is a storm of outcry to change the rule.
Steve
Apr 16, 2013 at 1:24 pm
There were a ton of people that:
A) thought calling in was ridiculous
B) thought it was a dumb call to even claim that was a bunker
If the rule was in place back then, I’d be willing to bet DJ would have been “saved” as well.
Jeff
Apr 15, 2013 at 4:36 pm
wait, you say he was “only” -4 on the par 5s for the week? Even forgetting the craziest-triple-bogey-of-all-time, playing 16 holes at -4 is pretty darn good for anyone, including tour pros. His entire score was -5…I’m thinking if he had played THE REST OF THE HOLES as well as he played the par 5s he would’ve won.
Mike B.
Apr 15, 2013 at 3:59 pm
I believe Tiger will win 2 majors this year, so don’t feel too sorry for him. Now if he could only hit his driver into the fairway, he’d be untouchable!
Ty
Apr 15, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Carmine Conti, what you’ve just said … is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
This one falls on the Rules Committee. After the caller notified them of the potential infraction, they should have not only reviewed the tape themselves but also notified Tiger in the scorer’s tent before he signed his card. Had they done this, Tiger would have admitted his mistake, signed for the correct score and all of this would be a non-issue.
Steve
Apr 16, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Lol +1 for the Billy Madison reference.
Barry Smoot
Apr 15, 2013 at 3:05 pm
The “Viewer Phone Caller” was Jack
Servost
Apr 15, 2013 at 10:05 pm
Thats a good one
Carmine Conti
Apr 15, 2013 at 2:45 pm
Once Again were all left scratching our Nike Hatted Heads wondering why and how come…. The Key Point or decision was made prior to his round ending,,,after the viewer phone call, the Rules Committee of Augusta National made the decision that his drop was legal…. Lets Stop right there…… How do they decide or in God’s name do they see that as a “legal drop”…. Now the debate begins….. I give Mr Woods credit for admitting what his intent was, as well as what his intent was with twelve woman he dialed in, but for the acclaimed and holier than thou Augusta Committee of the “sacred” to not penalize immediately is unacceptable… Refs on the course absolutely, and if they miss the call, there is no foul,unless like in the movie “Bagger Vance” the player calls it on himself… For the “Greatest Golfer of All Time” what an example he would of set,, but On-Course Officials, could prevent, (as in other Sports) cheating, and the calls from viewers will cease and desist…. This though was not good for the game, and Mr. Woods knowing his intent, should’ve “Withdrew”, showing even he is not bigger than the game, when intel, it would of showed all the world he’s respectful of the what has made him the icon he so desperately wants to be… In this case even if he’d had won….”It Woods not of taken care of everything”….
Mario
Apr 15, 2013 at 10:38 pm
THUMBS UP
chris
Apr 15, 2013 at 2:38 pm
He screwed up, he lost, it is done. Get on with life.
Raul Schwarx
Apr 15, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Finally someone makes the proper analysis… Congratulations on a well researched and developed article. Broadcasters should learn from this !
bob
Apr 15, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Sorry for the typos
bob
Apr 15, 2013 at 2:19 pm
Enough with the tiger this or that he lost but so did a wholr bunch of other good golfers and men. On another note keeping your own score is more inherent to the integrity of the game then long ,shooort or another club length. You need to refocus .
TWShoot67
Apr 15, 2013 at 2:13 pm
Yes there needs to be some changes for sure. In no way should a spectator at home or on course having any influence on the game. second half of the field cold be making same mistake Tiger made and it would go undetected to TV viewer as said players is ever on TV like the leaders of an event are. The game needs to be fair for everyone and like any other sports mistakes happen even with refs. But guess what we live with them. In baseball strike zones are subject to ridicule ever single game. In basketball and football fouls get called and some do not. Golf needs to have referees in place and they make the call and that’s it. No more second guessing TV viewer calling in and then changing what happens. All I know NO ONE that watched on Friday that I sat with thought anything Tiger did was wrong. In fact if you listed to David Feherty who’s sitting in a booth and a former player was under no pressure and he didn’t even know which hazard it was yellow or Red! Things definitely need to change and it’s up to golf to not let anything like this happen again. Also if TV/Media thought tiger was evasive in the past after post round interviews, I could see him being even more vague as his statements along with a phone caller and a late night dinner changed the course of the Masters. One last though thanks for a well written article! Tim
Allen
Apr 16, 2013 at 6:16 am
I’ve been thinking about this supposed “TV viewer” calling in rules infractions and feel certain that I’m not the first one to think: how in the world do they know what number to call; who to speak with: why do they take their call. if I called the Augusta National today would Billy Payne take my call? Common sense tells me that if isn’t an ordinary viewer. I suspect it is either a disgruntled marginal pro or a member of the golf media. My hunch is it is the latter. Most pros wouldn’t know who to call either and since there has never been one single story pursuing the identity of these “callers”, it sure looks like a conspiracy of silence.
Steve
Apr 16, 2013 at 1:17 pm
I was thinking the exact same thing lol.