PGA Officiating From Home: Tim Finchem Encourages Call-In Penalties

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 10, 2011

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PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem went on the record earlier this week regarding players being penalized by fan phone-ins while watching television coverage. Finchem, while not taking an official stance on the practice, did encourage more calls of this kind in order to further enforce rules during tournaments. In doing so, the Commissioner has compromised the integrity of the game and is jeopardizing the tradition of golf itself.

 

At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions earlier this season, Camilo Villegas was playing a pitch to an elevated green around 15–20 yards away from him—it was his second attempt at the same shot. The ball would fail to make it to the top of the hill and begin to roll back to Villegas.

 

In obvious disgust, Villegas would take the divot created by his swing and toss it away as the ball rolled back towards him—an obvious violation of Rule 23-1 (USGA Rule 23-1 states that a “loose impediment” cannot be removed that will affect the movement of the ball while the ball is in motion.)  

 

However, this infraction was not noticed by the rules official following the group nor by Villegas himself. He would finish out the hole and his first round of the tournament. However, his round was not over. Fans began contacting the PGA Tour (some via twitter) advising them of this rules violation, and the PGA subsequently concurred. When Villegas arrived at the course on Friday he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

 

Just two weeks later, European tour mainstay Padraig Harrington would suffer the same plight as Villegas for a different rule violation.

 

Harrington was removing his marker from his ball on a putting green during the first round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. As he did, the ball would move a small distance (three dimples according to hawk-eyed...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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