Rules Under Fire (Again): "We have a lot of stupid rules in golf."

Matthew Rudy on the Carl Pettersson violation Sunday at the PGA which led to a two-shot penalty. Here is the PGA of America's statement.

Pettersson was not pleased after the round:

"I double checked with the official to make sure I could brush the grass as long as I didn't put any weight on the ground with the clubhead, and he said sure," said Pettersson about his shot on the first hole. "I wish he would have mentioned the leaves, too. I was just trying to hit the ball. I didn't even think twice about it."

After getting the notification from Davis, Pettersson was visibly annoyed. "I've got to take it on the chin, obviously. I broke the rule there," said Petterson. "I don't think it effected the outcome of the shot. It's just one of those things. We have a lot of stupid rules in golf."

Rex Hoggard included this from Feherty:

Golf Channel’s David Feherty, who was the walking analyst with the group on Sunday, was more pointed in his assessment of the rule.

“Why don’t professional golfers make rules for professional golfers?” Feherty asked. “We’re the only sport that allows amateurs (to make rules). It’s not working for me if a guy is trying to make a living. A major championship may have hung in the balance.

“That (rule) is designed so an amateur doesn’t drag his club back and make a channel for themselves. What do you think would happen if a pro did that out there? I think we can account for that. How are you supposed to make a backswing? Use the club like a spear?”

Still no video of it on YouTube or PGA.com's PGA Championship site. If anyone sees an online version of the violation, please post a link.

Update on 2012-08-13 08:03 by Geoff

**Thanks to reader Jonathan for spotting Jay Busbee's post with video:

Armchair Officials: Will 13-2 Come Into Play This Weekend?

With Michael Hoey having the first mishap related to the different rules this week for the sand areas, reader Jerry wondered how many times Rule 13-2 has been or will be violated by players treating bunkers as they normally would by digging in and building a stance.

Since any sandy area is treated as through the green, doing so would be a violation as outlined in 13-2:

13-2. Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play

A player must not improve or allow to be improved:

• the position or lie of his ball,

• the area of his intended stance or swing,

• his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or

• the area in which he is to drop or place a ball, by any of the following actions:
• pressing a club on the ground,

• moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds),

• creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,

• removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or
• removing dew, frost or water.

“Bobby Jones used concave-faced clubs for some of his major championships. They were outlawed later."

Martin Dempster had a super write-up of the Monday R&A press conference and included this from Peter Dawson, which would be an answer to my first Open question.

Dawson was adamant that the controversy surrounding long putters hadn’t detracted from Els winning a dramatic event – he came from six shots back with nine holes to play as Scott dropped shots at each of the last four holes – to claim the Claret Jug for a second time.

“No, absolutely not,” he said. “The championship is conducted under the rules of play at the time, and it doesn’t detract in any way from the winner as long as he obeys the rules of play at the time.

“Bobby Jones used concave-faced clubs for some of his major championships. They were outlawed later. Bobby Jones’ victories are in no way demeaned as a result of that and I see this in exactly the same way.”

At Lytham, in a field of 156, Els was among 16 players wielding a belly putter while Scott was one of 27 using a long one.

“At one tournament last year, the R&A reported 21 per cent of players had long putters in their bag.”

News Of The Weird Dept: Euro Tour Caddie Caught Discarding 15th Club In Bush

An unbylined Sky Sports report on an unnamed caddie for Jose Manuel Lara attempting to conceal an extra club and getting noticed by playing partners. Lara shot 69 but was DQ'd.  The Euro Tour's John Paramor explains:

"He was seen entering the bush with the bag of clubs by his playing partners (Ireland's Damien McGrane and Swede Peter Hedblom), who thought it was a little bit suspicious.

"They went and asked the chap 'What are you doing?' and he sort of fumbled out an answer saying 'I've got this wrong - I've done something bad. I wish it hadn't happened, etc etc'.

"It was clear the club was out of the bag and in the bush at the time. He admitted it straight away and regretted his action.

"A ruling was sought over what was the penalty for carrying an extra club and he was given two shots for the first hole and two for the second."

There is video of John Paramor talking about the incident here.

Video: Mark Russell On Call-In Rulings And Other Topics

I chatted with PGA Tour VP of Rules and Competitions Mark Russell here at The Memorial and he gives a fun answer to the question of phoned-in rule violations, as well as some fresh insights into last week's Zach Johnson situation at Colonial, while revealing that Slugger White was watching the telecast and caught the violation.

A Truly Depressing Incorrect Scorecard Signing Story

Thanks to reader Robert for Rob Moseley's story on high school senior Caroline Inglis losing her bid for a fourth state golf title when she signed for an incorrect score** following her final round in the Class 5A girls championship, at a golf course actually named Trysting Tree Golf Club. Really.

Because the reported total was lower than her actual score — 68, rather than 69 — Inglis was disqualified from a tournament she was on pace to win by nine strokes over her closest competitor.

The shocking turn of events came 41 years after her father, Bill, signed for an incorrect score at the 1971 state tournament, family members said, denying the South Eugene boys a team title.

Oh it gets worse.

Caroline Inglis played throughout her senior season after learning of a leukemia diagnosis to Bill last year, and through the proceeding treatment, including a stem-cell transplant from her aunt, Jane, about four months ago that has so far proven successful.

“It definitely affected my play; my dad taught me the game, and I grew up playing with him,” Inglis said before learning of her disqualification. “So it was definitely hard to go out and play. But I worked myself through it, and he’s doing a lot better now.

“I wanted to win for him, make him proud. And I did. It feels great, and I’m so glad that he could be here to watch, and that he’s healthy.”

Inglis will be playing at University of Oregon this fall.

**Not sure why the link changed but the original story has been located and the link embedded.

"I have carried this with me for years and I wanted to get it off my chest."

Check out this story from reader and rules official Pete Blaisdell, who posted a stunning phone call he received regarding a past incident on GolfClubAtlas.com.

"Change 267 Years in Making: A Tweak in the Rules of Golf"

Great to see Adam Schupak's story on the latest rules tweaks and the evolution of golf's rules making it to A1 of the New York Times. 

Why so many rules for a game whose basic principle is to play the course as you find it and not touch the ball until you lift it from the hole?

“We could issue a more simple rule book, but I’m afraid it would fail the fairness test, and what good would that do?” Mr. Rickman said.

Rules Roundup Reviews: Unity Good, But How About The Belly Putter?

Jim Achenbach feels the Monday joint announcement by the USGA and R&A is "is unprecedented for golf" and bodes well heading into the next few years and Olympic games. 

In the past, the rules were the same around the world, but individual countries or golf associations often created their own layouts and formats.

The rulebook is reissued every four years by the USGA and R&A, the two governing and rules-making bodies that oversee golf around the globe. This time, they vowed to produce a uniform rulebook.

“Well, it may sound easy, but it wasn’t,” said Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s director of the Rules of Golf. “It was complicated and difficult, and it took a lot of time to get it done properly.”

In the past, the USGA occasionally reprinted the Rules of Golf every two years. There is a 2010-2011 edition of the rulebook, although it is the same as the previous printing. The only change is the title.

Pagel affirmed there will be no more two-year editions. All new rulebooks will read 2012-2015 to support public recognition of the four-year rules cycle. However, the comprehensive Decisions on the Rules of Golf will continue to be published every two years (the 2012-2013 edition will be available in November).

In another fun Pond Scrum, Steve Elling and John Huggan bat the changes around and praise the adjustments made, but also long for one that does not seem to be on the governing body radars.

Elling: Yeah, Simpson is probably sitting at home saying, "I'd rather have this new 'Simpson rule' informally named after something that didn't cost me my third tournament victory this season." Speaking of tweaks, the joint announcement by the two rulemaking bodies called it "an exhaustive, four-year review of golf's 34 playing rules." You ever seen a USGA or R&A guy who looked exhausted?

Huggan: If exhausted means the same as "mildly inebriated," then, yes.

Elling: I guess they were too tuckered out to weigh in on the real rule issue du jour, the belly putter and the question of whether anchoring the club to the body in some fashion should be permitted. Oh, well, there's always 2015!

Huggan: I interviewed USGA director Mike Davis at length during the Walker Cup last month. It was for another media outlet, but I can tell you not to expect any action there any time soon.

Elling: Isn't inaction an action?

Huggan: In R&A and USGA world, anything is possible. And nothing.