Golf can be harsh.....

Jawgap

https://twitter.com/webdotcomtour/status/911994142049361920

If you watch the video, the wind blows, a leaf gets pushed into the line of the putt, and deflects the ball. The player tapped in the subsequent putt......

Here's the ruling.....



Ouch!!!

fred funk }{

Wow..That's harsh alright.

backspin.

That's ridiculous. So basically a 4 stroke penalty.

blue note

This is the type of thing that turns non-golfers off the sport. What he thought was an act of God 1 stroke penalty (I'm guessing the putt was going in) instead turned into a 5 stroke penalty. The leaf hitting your ball can be put down to bad luck and not knowing the rule means he'd suffer a shot because of it. I think anyone could accept that. But to suffer a further 4 shot penalty? That is simply unfair and something virtually no-one agrees with.

brav

Yes that is very harsh, 19-1B does say "The ball must be replaced and replayed." but that really should be may as if he did replay it he might have got it, but instead went with play as it lies and possibly lost a shot.
I would say its extremely harsh for the casual Sunday comp player, but I suppose for a professional player with a caddy then I maybe you expect them to know the rulebook off by heart.

backspin.

I was putting on greens yesterday with so many leaves that half the time i never bothered clearing them away for longer putts. So under this rule its fine to putt over them but if the wind blows one and it hits your ball you must retake the putt? I'd bet 90% of golfers won't know that.

Milkers

What a fking idiotic rule.

Golfgraffix

Milkers wrote: »

What a fking idiotic rule.

In fairness a tour player should know the rules.

blue note

Golfgraffix wrote:

In fairness a tour player should know the rules.

Golfgraffix wrote:

In fairness a tour player should know the rules.

But by not knowing and not replaying the shot you'd think he'd have suffered enough. But no, a further 4 shots were given to him.

I don't think anyone is saying that it's understandable that neither he nor his caddy knew the rule. It's a bit of an obscure one, but they probably should have known it. I think people are saying it's outrageous that he'd have been 5 shots better off of he knew it.

Russman

backspin. wrote: »

I was putting on greens yesterday with so many leaves that half the time i never bothered clearing them away for longer putts. So under this rule its fine to putt over them but if the wind blows one and it hits your ball you must retake the putt? I'd bet 90% of golfers won't know that.

What if a leaf hits your ball and the ball isn't actually deflected from its path ? (genuinely)

Golfgraffix wrote: »

In fairness a tour player should know the rules.

Yes, he should, 100%, and ignorance is no defence. But to be fair, some of the rules with multiple parts, sections and exceptions are very complex. I'd say a leaf deflecting a ball is so rare he probably never had cause to consider it.
Plus there's also the book of decisions which runs to several thousand AFAIK and is arguably more important than the rule book itself.
A lot for a player to have to know.