Houston’s Steve Elkington failed to qualify for next week’s U.S. Open Golf Tournament at New York’s venerable Winged Foot Golf Club during yesterday’s sectional qualifying tournament at Houston’s Lakeside Country Club, but at least he went out with a splash.
As this Steve Campbell/Houston Chronicle article reports, Elk left Lakeside yesterday before even teeing it up when U.S. Golf Association officials informed him that he could not wear metal spikes on his golf shoes while playing the golf course at Lakeside, which has a local rule that players may only use soft spikes (which cause less wear and tear on the greens) on the course. Inasmuch as the PGA Tour allows its members to use either metal or soft spikes in its golf tournaments and many other golf courses that the USGA uses for its qualifying tournaments have the same rule, Elk — who is a notorious golf traditionalist — told the USGA officials at Lakeside that adoption of a different rule at the Lakeside qualifier was wrong and left in a huff before his 8:50 a.m. tee time, leaving the USGA officials blathering about “a rule is a rule.”
Quick tip to Lakeside — it’s not going to do any damage to your greens to allow players in one golf tournament to use metal spikes. Next time, waive the friggin’ local rule for the tournament.
By the way, two college players — Ryan Baca of Baylor and Ryan Posey of Oklahoma State — earned the two Open spots at Lakeside by shooting sturdy 6-under-par 136’s over the 36 hole qualifier.
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Longtime Houston attorney Tom Kirkendall's observations on developments in law, business, medicine, culture, sports, and other matters of general interest to the Houston business, professional, and academic communities.
I can’t believe Lakeside dissed Elk like this, even if he was being a bit thin-skinned. What a bunch of tools. Way to go, Lakeside, hope your members are happy
I have to admit it’s been a few years, but when I used to behave like that as a kid, my mother told me I was “cutting off my nose to spite my face.” Elkington seems to have a bit of a prima donna attitude. Change the spikes, and play.
I think you are being a litte harsh on this. Golf is a game of rules, even if they are sometimes stupid (personally, the way my short game goes, I think it is stupid that putting strokes count the same as drives. The agony, but I digress).
From a fairness standpoint, I think the key part of the article is this:
OK, Elks beef and yours should be with the USGA and not Lakeside. Local rules apply. The local rules official sent all the participants a copy, WITH A REMINDER. What was he supposed to do, hire a skywriter?
I adore Steve Elkington, but it would be wrong to let him play with steel spikes because he is affable guy with Houston ties, if all the other competitors were told different and prepared different in advance.
Steve was wrong to try to bully the local rules official to break the rules–it was poor form, unless I guess he wanted to make some spoiled point with the USGA.
He despises soft spikes,
http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?/features/gd200406elkington2.html
and I guess he was either mad he didn’t read the local materials, thought he was above the rules, or was just trying to make a petulant point.
You might think Lakeside was being unfair, but would it be fair for the golfers that would have played behind Elkington that they would have to put on greens that he just stomped all over?
(BTW, I’m an acquaintance of the local rules guy in question. He is a good guy, IIRC a lawyer, and really did more than he was required to do to get the golfers to comply with local rules.)
Stephanie, Lakeside’s local rule regarding soft spikes is different from a rule of golf or even a local rule modifying a rule of golf. The purpose of the local rule regarding soft spikes is to lessen wear and tear on the greens. Inamsuch as that purpose is not abrogated by waiving the local rule in regard to one tournament in which only a few players would opt to wear spikes, Lakeside was silly in not waiving the rule to accomodate one of the best players in the world.
Yes, Elk should have read the materials carefully that were sent to him and dealt with the issue before he showed up to play. However, Lakeside’s obstinance in not simply waiving the local rule — as is done in regard to some local rule in virtually every tournament played at any golf club — was contrary to the spirit of encouraging the best golf competition.
Thanks for your comments and for reading HCT.
I understand your point. It makes sense if they had chose to waive the local rule months ago when they put the tourney together. But they didn’t.
Are you saying that Lakeside had the authority to waive the rule minutes before the round started? Just because Elk is a better player than everybody else in the tournament and he threw a fit about it? I don’t know one way or another. And it sure puts the local USGA rules official in a bad spot–follow the rules he sent out or be accused of blatant favortism.
This episode may end up being reason number 4,234,899* why golfers get the reputation of being effete wusses. (Not my opinion after golfing in Houston summers, but I can see a little bit where folks are coming from on that).
*yes that is an arbitrary number to make a point.
Stephanie, it’s my understanding that the host club retains the right to waive a local rule at any time up to the time the competition begins. And it’s not as if Elk was requesting waiver for the purpose of providing him an unfair advantage — heck, metal spikes are still allowed in all PGA Tour events and the U.S. Open.
By the way, although some Tour players surely are effete snobs, Elk is not one of them. He is bright, interesting and funny fellow who takes his responsibilities as a professional golfer seriously. Although Elk certainly should have resolved this issue with Lakeside before arriving at the qualifier on Monday, my sense is that Lakeside used poor judgment in not waiving this rule under the circumstances.
Tom, I’m afraid you are all wet on this one. Elkington knew the local rules when he signed up. Players get to choose where they try to qualify, and many players choose a course that is suitable to their game. If spikes were so important to Elkington, he could have played in Michelle Wie and worn his spikes.
Many private clubs have local rules against metal spikes, and those local rules apply in USGA events – just as the rules regarding environmentally sensitive areas, flower beds, drop zones, etc.
The bottom line is that Elkington overreacted. And frankly, I don’t see how the rule could have been waived at the last minute. The local officials don’t have the power to waive any club rules. I’m guessing a committee at least would have had to make the call.
In any event, the course looked great and stood up well to a talented field, even if they had to wear soft spikes.