This mad game aint half got some crazy rulings!!

[Dodger]

What about this one??Bet you this happens often,breaking obscure rules and not knowing it!


Martin Laird involved in controversial
ruling over repair of pitch mark

A two-fold ruling nearly got Scot Martin Laird disqualified and wound up costing American Bart Bryant a two-stroke penalty late in the second round Saturday morning at the BMW Championship.
It was all because of a pitch mark on the par-3 16th.
Laird's tee shot landed on the fringe and rolled to 3 feet. Bryant's shot came up just short in the rough, some 50 feet from the flag.
As they approached the green, Laird noticed the pitch mark left by his tee shot and went to tamp it down.
"I said, 'Is this in your line?'" Laird said to his playing partner.
As the rookie from Glasgow tapped down the grass with his club, Bryant told him that indeed, it was in his line between the ball and the flag. It did not affect the shot because Bryant's play was to chip well over the mark.
Slugger White, the US PGA Tour's vice president of rules and competition, said a decision related to Rule 1-2 does not allow Laird to improve a competitor's line. That ordinarily would be a two-shot penalty -- disqualification in this case, because Laird already had signed his card -- but he was not penalised because it was deemed that he did not intend to help Bryant.
Bryant did not get off so easily.
He was guilty of Rule 13-2, which covers improving the lie, area of intended swing or stance or line of play. The rules denote that a player cannot improve the line "or allow" it to be improved.
By agreeing that the mark was in his line -- a simple "Yes" was all it took -- Bryant was assessed a two-shot penalty. That turned a bogey into a triple bogey and a 66 into a 68.
"I can't believe he got a two-shot penalty," Laird said.
White said he asked Bryant whether there was any way to stop Laird from tamping down the pitch mark. Laird said he asked Bryant as he was in the process of fixing the mark with his putter.
"Bart said to me, 'I can't look you in the eye and say in good conscience that I couldn't have,'" White said. "His integrity is amazing. He's a classy guy."
As unfair as it sounds, Bryant made no excuses. Asked whether he should have been penalised, he replied, "Yes, because I broke the rules."
"I didn't knowingly break the rule," he said with a gentle smile. "I didn't even know that rule."
White conferred with the USGA as Laird stopped for lunch between the second and third round, and Laird teed off in the third round not knowing whether he would be disqualified. He got word on the fourth hole that he was OK, but he started the third round with three bogeys and a double bogey over his first six holes.
Laird needed to finish the tournament to secure his tour card for next year. He wound up with a 76 and was tied for 65th among 68 players.
Bryant earned a small measure of redemption. Four holes into the next round, he made a hole-in-one.
"That's good karma," Laird said. "I told him, 'You got the two strokes back."
But aren't the Rules of Golf so unfair at times?
Labels: US PRO TOUR

 

[jeffc]

so was it repairing the pitch mark or asking if it was on his line before reparing it that broke the rule?


I thought you were supposed to repair your pitch marks? - Confused

 

[USER1999]

I thought that pitch marks on the green were the only thing you could fix. So if a pitch mark is on your line you can fix it, but not spike marks or damage to the edge of the hole.

May be you need to be on the green to get this priveledge?

 

[Dave3498]

It appears, from your description of the event, that the pitch mark was not on the green, but on the fringe. This makes all the difference. Pitch marks on the green are repairable, but not 'through the green.'

 

[Tommo21]

Is it not the fact the Bryant was not on the green that brings this rule into play. Sorting the pitch mark is fine, but in hindsight, it should have been sorted after Bryant played up as it was on his line. If he sorted the pitch mark and it was not in Bryant’s line then it would have been okay. He said it was on his line. Mad rules.

 

[Dave3498]

Correct Tomo. But there's nothing mad about it. You simply cannot improve your line 'through the green.' I'm always surprised how little these profesionals know about the rules, considering it's their livelyhood.

 

[Cernunnos]

Mad it may be, but its golf. The ironic thing is its the player that had no real influence over events was the one that was actually penalized. Makes you feel sorry for the pro, who had a fraction of a second to either say yes, or for gods sake don't tamp that down... Either way he'd have been too late by the sound of it.

But there are loads of ways your playing partner can cost you shots on a course.

 

[jeffc]

'through the green.'

excuse my ignorance but just want to be clear - does that mean repairing a pitch mark that is off the green say on the fringe or do you mean if your ball is off the putting surface you cannot repair a pitch mark?

 

[Herbie]

Another example of rules that are not only a little silly but interpreted by officials in their own way.

A simple rule should be, if you make a pitch mark you fix it once your group have made the green regardless of anything.If all players in a group havent reached the green, leave them alone till they have.If you fix a pitchmark before all have reached the green then penalty stroke.There shouldnt be a need for any other ruling or definition than that.

Instead we have pages of examples and actions by officials that make a simple game sometimes not as pleasurable.

 

[DCB]

Herb

So what would you have done and how would you interpret the rule.

 

[viscount17]

spot on herb, clear, simple and not possible to confuse.

though I do think the 'green' for this purpose should include the cut fringe - discuss.

and, committees should be enabled to add a rider that failure to repair pitch marks constitutes a penalty (1 stroke)