USGA On Elimination Of Ten-Shot Rule: Players Were Notified

I'm having trouble with the USGA's lack of an announcement for the elimination of the rule allowing players within ten shots of the lead to make the cut. Yes, they are correct that it was on the player application and that the major tours were notified. And Sean Martin had written exclusively about this in January.

Still, considering it never came up in 56 minutes of a USGA press conference will make it easy for conspiracy theorists to assume the USGA did not want to talk about this because it's another victim of the slow play epidemic in the game.

Here is Doug Ferguson's report on the elimination of the rule that will be a big part of Friday's golf at Olympic, particularly if leader Michael Thompson comes back to the field.

Carl Pettersson said he just found out about the change earlier in the week -- from the caddies. Phil Mickelson might need the 10-shot rule after opening with a 76, which left him 10 shots behind Michael Thompson. He was asked if he was told of the change.

"Honestly, I haven't looked," Mickelson said. "If there might be a note or something, I don't know. I haven't really looked at it."

Players often get notices of local rules or golf course information when they register for a tournament, and they don't always read it. Dustin Johnson comes to mind about the bunkers at Whistling Straits, which cost him a spot in a playoff two years ago in the PGA Championship.

But the information sheet in the locker room, which told about local rules and which holes would be used if a playoff went extra holes, didn't mention the 10-shot rule.

"It was certainly something that was in the application for entry," USGA executive director Mike Davis said. "And I think I know it was in the player memo."

The prime USGA defense of the ten-shot rule elimination is simple: no one who made the cut thanks to the ten-shot rule has won the U.S. Open.

Mike Davis and Tom O'Toole talked about eliminating the ten-shot rule and Davis actually offered a great example for keeping the rule in my view.

I think I'm correct in saying this, we haven't had somebody win this U.S. Open who has been a part of the ten shot rule.  And in addition, the one thing that is kind of interesting, the reason that for years we kind of held off, to be quite candid, it goes back to Ernie Els, and Ernie in 1993 at Baltusrol, he was a part of the ten shot rule, would not have made the cut without the ten shot rule.  And then he had a wonderful round three and round four and actually finished high enough that he was exempt enough for the next year.

Then he wins the next year at Oakmont.  You can argue if we had not had the ten shot rule Ernie Els may not have been in the field and won the U.S. Open in 1994.