re: USGA issues statement on Tiger Woods drop

According the USGA, this is what Tiger did that was illegal:

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he Rules do not define “as nearly as possible” in terms of a specific measured distance, because the conditions unique to each situation can affect how near to the original spot it is possible to drop a ball and because dropping a ball is an imprecise act. But in this type of situation, in which that original spot was clearly identifiable as being just behind the back edge of the divot hole created by Woods’ previous stroke and in which there were no other unusual circumstances, “as nearly as possible” means that the player must attempt to drop the ball on or next to (but not nearer the hole than) that spot. Woods did not do so.

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Jim Nantz is a douche

Thats all.

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I have done a complete 180 on this since it happened. No way he should get penalized there IMHO FWIW

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Yeah that statement from your rules official friend is pretty contradictory to all of this.

The whole thing was a clusterfrick from start to finished though.

I agree. If intent doesn't matter, then his post-round interview should me nothing.

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threeputt

quote: No way he should get penalized there IMHO FWIW I don't know what to believe anymore.

My world has been turned upside down.

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What the frick is going on here. :mindblown

Bump for this...a Champions Tour player, David Eger, is the person who called Augusta and pointed out the rules violation to the committee during Tiger's round.

LINK

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"I could see there was a divot -- not a divot, a divot hole -- when he played the shot the second time that was not there the first time," Eger said. "I played it again and again. I could see that the fairway was spotless the first time he played the shot and there was that divot hole, maybe three or four feet in front of where he played after the drop."

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Eger knew immediately there had been a possible rules violation. He also knew he had to act quickly so that Woods would not sign an incorrect scorecard, which almost always leads to disqualification.

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At 7:30 p.m., 10 minutes after Woods completed his round, Ridley responded by text to Bradley. Regarding Eger's estimate of three to four feet, Ridley wrote that Woods "was closer than that." To look at it closer, he wrote, would be "splitting hairs." Ridley determined that Woods had done nothing wrong, so there was no point in asking him about the drop.

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At about 10:15 on Friday night, nearly three hours after his return text to Bradley, Ridley was informed of Woods's comments to ESPN, by way of a call from Jim Nantz of CBS.

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Interesting read about how it all went down that day.

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a Champions Tour player, David Eger, is the person who called Augusta and pointed out the rules violation to the committee during Tiger's round.

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I'm with threeputt, I don't see where Tiger intentionally did something wrong, especially with where is ball ended up sitting after the drop. We can split hairs on his comment at the press conference (which I still think was in jest, yet people on this board have told me Tiger could hit the flagstick everytime from 135yds out yet somehow doesnt have enough control to short it, but I digress.)

My issue, from the start, is that a viewer instigated this review. A man, sitting in his house, watching TV, insinuated that he observed the drop and had a better view than the goddamn Augusta National rules official standing six feet away? And it was actually taken seriously? I don't care if Bobby Jones rose from the grave to call in, the idea that a viewer could impact the golf tournament is insane.

This, to me, was the equivalent of a viewer calling in during the World Series telling someone that he saw on TV that a guy was safe at first, then having the ruling overturned. Its really absurd to think about.

Good read. It would have been complete sham if Tiger would have got DQ'd after reading how this went down.