after further review...lexi thompson penalized 4 strokes

[rocket surgeon]

   anyone else catch this?  happened to be watching the LPGA while working out-was that some kind of joke?

       the ana inspiration held in rancho mirage, ca.  is one of the woman's majors.  lexi thompson was leading the event by 2 strokes.  she bogies hole #12 to fall to -16.  as she is walking to hole #13, rule officials tell her of a penalty she committed on hole #17...the previous day as they were notified by E-MAIL from a "fan" who noted it while watching a replay.  lexi almost pulled off thevictory despite the ruling but overwhelmingly won over the fans and social media

   http://golfweek.com/2017/04/02/lexi-thompson-loses-lead-4-stroke-penalty-day-later-ana-inspiration/

this is where golf is losing the common people.  how many sports allow input from their "fans" with regards to the rules?  what if player x violated a rule on thursday or friday, wasn't notified, makes the cut because of it and then is notified on saturday or sunday?  if a player doesn't call themselves out over it, which is usually the "gentlemen's" part of the game or a ruling official doesn't observe a violation from all the video taken, or said rule violation isn't picked up within a certain time frame following the match-fugetaboutit.

  http://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/article/19060843/ana-inspiration-lexi-thompson-penalty-another-major-blunder-golf?addata=espn:golf:golf

this is going to be debated for some time between the cooler heads and the stuffed shirts/"country club" elites-as judged by the reaction of public opinion-golf has some decisions to make.  why just the other day, i called the NCAA over a traveling call they missed in the waning seconds of the unc-oregon game, but they told me to go "f" myself...just trying to be a fan and help, ehyn'a?  in this case-at least put a statute of limitations on the thing.  what's next?  a full review of john daly's major wins?

[tower912]

I am following it.   The letter of the law as it is currently written was followed.  Which means that the rules are going to need to be addressed.   The idea that someone watching a DVR of Saturday's round after Sunday's round is well underway can notice a quarter inch mistake from Saturday, send an e-mail and fundamentally alter the course of a major is absurd.   Look for a rules change to stop this crap in the future.

[jsglow]

It's ridiculous.

[brewcity77]

Rules change should come today. I'm sorry, but that's crap. Can you imagine if the day after our OT win at Seton Hall, some SHU fan appealed an incorrectly called three that was called a two in regulation and we lost the game? Or a week after the Cubs won the World Series, the result was overturned and parades cancelled because some idiot at home noticed a two-run homer nicked the foul pole?

I've seen plenty of terrible officiating, but this is some Earl Hebner level BS.

[tower912]

Lexi carelessly did not return her ball to the original spot.    That IS a penalty.     If it had been noticed by a rules official in real time, had been discussed with her at the end of the round, and a penalty assessed then, I would have zero issue with it.    My issue is with timing.   Somebody watching Saturday's round while Sunday's round is in progress should not have the ability to change what happened on Saturday with an e-mail.    It's over.   The score from Saturday should be final.     Interestingly, this rule has already been changed once.  Two years ago, if this had occurred, Lexi would have been disqualified and had to walk in after 12 holes.   
And finally, nobody knows whether or not Mo Martin replaced her ball correctly on the third hole on Thursday.   There is no television coverage of that.   Having viewers, who are only seeing what the editors are showing, be able to alter the outcome is wrong.    If the director in the truck, after Lexi missed her first putt, had cut away to anything else, Lexi wins this major.   

[rocket surgeon]

Lexi carelessly did not return her ball to the original spot.    That IS a penalty.     If it had been noticed by a rules official in real time, had been discussed with her at the end of the round, and a penalty assessed then, I would have zero issue with it.    My issue is with timing.   Somebody watching Saturday's round while Sunday's round is in progress should not have the ability to change what happened on Saturday with an e-mail.    It's over.   The score from Saturday should be final.     Interestingly, this rule has already been changed once.  Two years ago, if this had occurred, Lexi would have been disqualified and had to walk in after 12 holes.   
And finally, nobody knows whether or not Mo Martin replaced her ball correctly on the third hole on Thursday.   There is no television coverage of that.   Having viewers, who are only seeing what the editors are showing, be able to alter the outcome is wrong.    If the director in the truck, after Lexi missed her first putt, had cut away to anything else, Lexi wins this major.

  well summarized and stated.  this kind of thing, a rules thing continues to erode at the popularity of golf at a time they are struggling.  participation rates have dropped by 20% over the last 13-14 years.  during this time, they take away the PGA title from d. johnson after they claim he grounded his club in a "sand trap".  said trap was indistinguishable from a path the spectators had worn into the landscape over the course of the week.  then, mr johnson once again ALMOST lost another major-2016 us open.  the greens had a stimp meter # 15 where a coin would almost roll off the green.  his ball moved as he addressed the ball from the side.  the golf gods didn't make a ruling until after the round, but it didn't matter as he built a 4 shot lead, cut to 3 with the eventual penalty ruling. 

     the moving ball controversy initiated, and rightly so, a rule change

i'm sure there have many other questionable issues that have hurt golf's p.r.  problem is, golf has rules that interpret therules, rules that contradict the rules and on and on.  and they aren't making it any more friendly for joe 6-pak of which golf will need in order for the sport to be re-popularized

[tower912]

These rules aren't the reason that the number of golf rounds is off by 20%.      Time it takes, cost, access, the fact that it is not an instant gratification game (i.e. damn hard) in an instant gratification society are all larger reasons than obscure and persnicketty rules that most don't follow in their fun game anyway. 

[nyg]

Ladies tour is notorious for slow play.  If Lexi had just tapped in the 18 inch putt, then nothing.  But watch the ladies, they mark, clean ball, replace, then putt the majority of their less than two footers.

The call in one day later was terrible and changes will be made. Probably to include possible rule violations only on day of play, otherwise too bad.  If this happened in yesterday's play and call came in today, not an issue, since competition is over. 

[MU82]

Rules change should come today. I'm sorry, but that's crap. Can you imagine if the day after our OT win at Seton Hall, some SHU fan appealed an incorrectly called three that was called a two in regulation and we lost the game? Or a week after the Cubs won the World Series, the result was overturned and parades cancelled because some idiot at home noticed a two-run homer nicked the foul pole?

I've seen plenty of terrible officiating, but this is some Earl Hebner level BS.

Agree with what you're saying with one minor nit ...

If the ball nicked the foul pole, it would still be a home run.

[brewcity77]

Agree with what you're saying with one minor nit ...

If the ball nicked the foul pole, it would still be a home run.

That's fair...

[rocket surgeon]

These rules aren't the reason that the number of golf rounds is off by 20%.      Time it takes, cost, access, the fact that it is not an instant gratification game (i.e. damn hard) in an instant gratification society are all larger reasons than obscure and persnicketty rules that most don't follow in their fun game anyway.

yes to all of these, but the "hoity-toity" aspect and pr that follows doesn't help.  high school golf coach approaches some yutes about considering joining the golf team or a park rec organization is doing the same, what is the most recent thing they've heard?  i ain't gonna chase no stupid ball around and get pants'ed if i move my ball a mm, etc etc

[jsglow]

Lexi carelessly did not return her ball to the original spot.    That IS a penalty.     If it had been noticed by a rules official in real time, had been discussed with her at the end of the round, and a penalty assessed then, I would have zero issue with it.    My issue is with timing.   Somebody watching Saturday's round while Sunday's round is in progress should not have the ability to change what happened on Saturday with an e-mail.    It's over.   The score from Saturday should be final.     Interestingly, this rule has already been changed once.  Two years ago, if this had occurred, Lexi would have been disqualified and had to walk in after 12 holes.   
And finally, nobody knows whether or not Mo Martin replaced her ball correctly on the third hole on Thursday.   There is no television coverage of that.   Having viewers, who are only seeing what the editors are showing, be able to alter the outcome is wrong.    If the director in the truck, after Lexi missed her first putt, had cut away to anything else, Lexi wins this major.

That's how I see it too.

[Herman Cain]

Lexi is sexy

[warriorchick]

Lexi is sexy

Did you come up with that yourself?

[tower912]

Lexi is sexy

Irrelevant and demeaning for this conversation

[jesmu84]

Irrelevant and demeaning for this conversation

Par for the course for his board contributions

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Par for the course for his board contributions

I see what you did there.

[tower912]

If the NCAA was like the PGA/LPGA tours, we could send in an e-mail showing Meek's hand out of bounds with 50 second  left and get the outcome of the game changed.

[wadesworld]

If the NCAA was like the PGA/LPGA tours, we could send in an e-mail showing Meek's hand out of bounds with 50 second  left and get the outcome of the game changed.

Or the un-tipped 3 point shot by Matthews that got correctly ruled UNC ball but then got incorrectly overturned and then we could take 3 points off the board for Gonzaga.

Those things typically even out.

[brewcity77]

I see what you did there.

And yet everyone missed this...

That's fair...

All my work for naught.

[Herman Cain]

Did you come up with that yourself?

Yes. Original content.

[warriorchick]

Yes. Original content.

[B. McBannerson]

Lexi is sexy

Driver beware

[#UnleashSean]

Or the un-tipped 3 point shot by Matthews that got correctly ruled UNC ball but then got incorrectly overturned and then we could take 3 points off the board for Gonzaga.

Those things typically even out.

But then Gonzaga would have shot 3 points over the missed four on the same play. That play balanced itself.

[wadesworld]

But then Gonzaga would have shot 3 points over the missed four on the same play. That play balanced itself.

Huh?  I'm not sure I understand.  With Gonzaga down 2 with 5 minutes left in the game Matthews air balled a 3 pointer out of bounds that was contested by Pinson.  The ref correctly called the ball out of bounds to UNC, but then a different ref reversed the call, saying Pinson blocked the shot when he clearly didn't.  UNC should have been inbounding the ball up 2 with 5 minutes to play but instead Gonzaga got the ball back with time on the shot clock and Williams-Goss hit a 3 pointer to go up by 1.  They should not have had those 3 points.