The world of championship golf is like no other sport. It has no instant officiating or game involved referees. The actual competitors are charged with the responsibility of playing by the rules. There are roving officials who can be dispatched to assist in a situation but nobody other than the players are on guard every step of the way from start to finish. Given what we have seen recently in the world political arena where the nation’s leaders are among some of the most blatantly flagrant cheaters what would keep the average person from being suspicious of a golfer? The game is played on a land tract of 125 to 200 acres. The accompanying contestants are frequently 50 to 100 yards away and every single stroke has a value of thousands of dollars, fame and improved status to earn many more thousands in off-course income.
As strange as it might sound, golfers at the top levels aren’t even tempted to give the ball a little undetected ‘poke’ out of a bad lie. In fact, Bob Jones called a penalty on himself in the US Open that eventually paved the way for him to finish 2nd by one stroke. When asked about it he said “Saying something righteous about my actions is like congratulating a bank robber for not robbing a bank”.
There’s a big difference between a player committing an act that violates the rules unknowingly and one who knows the rule. Take for example Dustin Johnson in the US Open who accidently and unknowingly touched the ball with his putter. The infraction was observed by a phone-in caller watching TV. The Rules Committee reviewed the tape and determined Johnson had made a rules violation and subsequently penalized him several holes later.
Wait a minute! Labron James scores a 3 pointer in the 1st period. During a review of the play for the TV audience shown in the 3rd period intermission, a fan notices James foot is over the 3-point line and phones in. The Rules Committee reviews the play and with 20 seconds remaining in game 7, the score tied, time out is called and James is notified his shot doesn’t count. Are you kidding me?
One big problem with a golf tournament is each of the ‘quarters’ is played on a different day. The entire 4 days of play (plus a play-off) are all part of the whole. So, it is possible for a review to take place after play has been completed for rounds one, two or three and be adjusted before round four is finished. But this isn’t comfortable for me. Once a player’s score is posted at the completion of the round that should be it! Any discussions, adjustments, alterations, penalties etc. should all be determined before the score is approved for posting. The same holds true for the 72-hole score. There should be a method to indicate an approved final score on the Score Board. Perhaps the assumed score is posted in black and once certified, it becomes official and irreversible and it is posted in red.
Then there is the public perception of certain players one of whom is Patrick Reed. Reed has made some rules decisions that make some people suspicious. Upon review, Reed has never been accused of cheating in a PGA TOUR event. He has been accused of employing a cavalier attitude toward his interpretation of the rules but not cheating. Effectively, he has anointed himself with the right to employ the rules without supervision or at least without supervision from the beginning of the situation.
As we enter into a new and expanded version of tournament golf with huge purses on the horizon and competition among various tours to attract the best players there will be far greater scrutiny by the viewing public. Cell phones record players from many vantage points and distances. TV cameras are constantly improving. Within the ‘bubble’ of an event things are going to change a lot in the next few years. Everything will be magnified.
The answer to all of this is ‘on course referees. Even though the rules dictate a player must be allowed to perform certain actions due to the nature of the game and the fact the average player is basically alone to enforce the rules, tour golf is different. The NHL isn’t ‘street hockey’; the rules aren’t made up on a whim. No longer would a player make their own ‘drop’. Any time a player requires implementation of a rule, they would call for a Rules Official. The Official would enact the rule. The Official would do all the touching of the ball from marking the original location, lift it, allow the player to clean it (if allowed) and drop it. The player would indicate the spot they wish the drop to be dropped and the Rules Official would do the dropping. Nobody ever touches a play in play without a penalty. No more controversy. No more suspicions. Above all, once the ball is in ‘play’ the ruling cannot be reversed. Right or wrong, we live with it. It could be called the “Reed Rule”.
