Saltman gets ban for cheating.

[TonyN]

How many times do the pros throw their balls in to the crowd during a comp? I'm sure this isn't allowed!

How sure are you?

 

[viscount17]

How many times do the pros throw their balls in to the crowd during a comp? I'm sure this isn't allowed!

How sure are you?

you got there first Tony.

why wouldn't this be allowed? their only obligation is to play with the same type of ball throughout, they could change it for every hole if they wished.

 

[Lawrence22]

I feel sorry for his brother Lloyd. Is he going to be blackballed by sponsors etc. as they will be wary of his brothers antics.

 

[Robobum]

....... they could change it for every hole if they wished.

I think Langer used (does still?) to do that very thing regardless of whether there were any marks or not.

 

[freddielong]

3 months is weird ban to me, if he was cheating it should be more, if he wasn't he should not be banned. I think they must have assumed that he didn't know the rules, and it is an honest mistake style slap on the wrist.

 

[Tommo21]

3 months is weird ban to me, if he was cheating it should be more, if he wasn't he should not be banned. I think they must have assumed that he didn't know the rules, and it is an honest mistake style slap on the wrist.

Yeh, I'm assuming that you assume that they assumed.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

3 months is weird ban to me, if he was cheating it should be more, if he wasn't he should not be banned. I think they must have assumed that he didn't know the rules, and it is an honest mistake style slap on the wrist.

Yeh, how can you assume that they assumed.

I guess it's easy to assume that someone's assumed but your assumption that their assumption is correct could very well be wrong.

Anyway, never assume, it makes an ass out of u and me.

 

[Tommo21]

Very good.......

 

[StuartD]

3 Months is a bit odd to me as well and he will miss the following events

Jan 20 Jan 23 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Jan 27 Jan 30 Volvo Golf Champions, Bahrain
Feb 03 Feb 06 Commercialbank Qatar Masters
Feb 10 Feb 13 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, UAE
Feb 17 Feb 20 Avantha Masters, India
Feb 23 Feb 27 WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship
Mar 10 Mar 13 WGC-Cadillac Championship
Mar 17 Mar 20 Sicilian Open,Sicily,Italy
Mar 24 Mar 27 Open de Andalucia de Golf, Malaga, Spain
Mar 31 Apr 03 Trophée Hassan,Morocco
Apr 07 Apr 10 MASTERS TOURNAMENT
Apr 14 Apr 17 Maybank Malaysian Open


Looking at the list he wont miss that much golf. his ranking would only let him play 1 (at most) tournament of the desert swing. He has no chance of playing at the WGC events or the Masters. That leaves the event in India (Which he might have elected not to make the trip for just one event), Italy Spain Morroco and Malaysia.

Missing just 5 or 6 events does seem a bit on the low side for his punishment

 

[HRC99]

Very tricky one indeed. From what I remember, he was accused of improving his position only very slightly, but obviously enough to be noticed by his playing partners.

That has got to be pretty difficult to prove in a court of law which is where it will probably end up as it is this guy's livelihood we're talking about.

Much of the damage is already done. His name is in tatters. Sponsorship is hardly going to be easy to come by now.

The European Tour is now in a very difficult position.

If they had let it slide, their membership would be up in arms and they would be lambasted in the media being accused of allowing cheats to prosper. If they stick with their decision, they are likely to end up in an expensive court battle with very significant costs if they lose.

Is moving the marker only very slightly NOT cheating?

This does not seem to have been one inadvertent mistake, but a pattern, and the rules are clear. If he was stupid enough to get banned for slight movements that didn't give him any real advantage, more fool him.

Of course it is. That's not my point.

If it goes to a court of law and the distances are fractions of an inch, a QC is going to shred the testimony against Saltman.

 

[19th]

I was beginning to think this was something they taught north of the border

Robertson, Monty and now Saltman.

You also missed out Sandy Lyle, reported by Scotlands favourite son, Sir Fairplay Faldo, for placing a piece of tape on his putter head to stop the reflection of the sun in his eyes.

Now how big an improvement was that!!

Off with his head, I say!

 

[The_LHC]

....... they could change it for every hole if they wished.

I think Langer used (does still?) to do that very thing regardless of whether there were any marks or not.

Tiger has been quoted as saying he'd change his ball after every shot, if he was allowed to.

 

[viscount17]

Of course it is. That's not my point.

If it goes to a court of law and the distances are fractions of an inch, a QC is going to shred the testimony against Saltman.

doubt that very much. long standing principle is 'ignorance of the law is no excuse' also, as has been said, to have come through the ranks and not to know a basic rule shows either ignorance, arrogance or stupidity.

3 months is definitely an odd one though. how much or little advantage he could have gained should have no bearing on the sentence. therefore it's either too little or too much.

 

[freddielong]

The craziest thing imo is that it seems he was told it was a problem and he kept doing it, he must be stupid maybe thats the reason for the short ban

 

[bobmac]

We got DQ'd from a Texas Scramble one year for marking our ball with a beer can, seems it wasnt in keeping with club etiquette?

The comp was sponsored by Tennents, we were only getting into the spirit of things!

You can mark the ball pretty much with anything you want.
Brian Barnes has used a beer bottle in the past.

 

[richart]

Does seem a very lenient sentence for what is cheating.

We had a member chucked out the club last year for doing the same in club champs. Two partners reported him for replacing ball closer to the hole on numerous occcasions, and he got his marching orders.

 

[Imurg]

So is there more to this that meets the eye or is Thomas Bjorn just a big softy after all?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm guessing the tour wanted a quick end to this and to be seen to be acting. It wasn't one of the high profile events and with the best will in the world the two guys that reported it are hardly household names in their own house let alone on tour. It would have been better to have dealt with it at the time but as they didn't give him a punitive punishment that really won't hurt his 2011 schedule and move on.

 

[richart]

I'm guessing the tour wanted a quick end to this and to be seen to be acting. It wasn't one of the high profile events and with the best will in the world the two guys that reported it are hardly household names in their own house let alone on tour. It would have been better to have dealt with it at the time but as they didn't give him a punitive punishment that really won't hurt his 2011 schedule and move on.

Homer not sure why not being household names makes any difference. They are fellow professionals who reported what they saw.

 

[Parmo]

The R&A rules need a total overall. Far too many petty rules, far too many pages in the rules book.

As mentioned by someone where two members accused a player of cheating, the club banned him and therefore he can not join another club and his reputation is in taters... What if the two men lied about it? No offence but labelling someone a cheat on petty issues and not club championship where its obvious and not a half inch but adjusting cards after signed.