Rule 33-7 Has Been Around Since 1952

Kendra Graham provides another solid explanation of the Masters Competition Commitee's use of Rule 33-7 to remedy Chair Fred Ridley's mistaken initial ruling on Tiger's illegal drop.

Rule 33-7 is not new; it has been in the book, according to my research, since 1952. Rule 33 (The Committee) outlines all of the responsibilities of the Committee in charge of a competition and is one of the longest Rules in the book. Its counterpart is Rule 6 (The Player), which highlights all of the player’s responsibilities. There is a relatively new Decision 33-7/4.5 (went into effect in 2011 and was revised in 2012), which often was mentioned in connection with this ruling. It really had very little, if any, bearing on the decision made by this Committee. The wording of Rule 33-7 is quite broad and lets the Committee use their discretion in waiving, modifying or imposing a penalty of disqualification. (They do not have that right in regard to waiving or modifying a lesser penalty, e.g., one stroke, two strokes, loss of hole.)

And...

In conclusion, it is important to keep in mind the words found in Rule 34-3, Committee’s Decision. In the absence of a referee, any dispute or doubtful point on the Rules must be referred to the Committee, whose decision is final.

Hey, so maybe not having a "referee" (walking official) helped too. Then again, it's hard to imagine any referee watching Tiger's drop and allowing him to get away with it in the first place.