As noted here earlier, it appeared that Tour pro Stewart Cink improved his lie on the shot that set up his winning birdie putt to beat Ted Purdy on the fifth playoff hole of the MCI Heritage Class Golf Tournament last Sunday. Although several television viewers called in to report Cink’s apparent rules violattion, Tour officials quickly denied the alleged rules violation after Cink sunk his birdie putt and delared the popular Cink the tournament champ.
Now, it appears that ruling went over about as well as a turd in the punchbowl with a number of Tour players. Today, the Chronicle reports that Purdy in particular is not pleased:
“Every player that’s come up to me said `I got robbed,’ and everybody around the world is saying the same thing,” said Purdy upon completion of his first round Thursday at the Shell Houston Open.
“I bet the founders (of golf) in Scotland, our forefathers, are rolling over in their graves.”
Inasmuch as it was clear from the telecast that, in sweeping away loose impediments, Cink created an indentation behind his ball to lessen the risk that his wedge would bounce off the surface of the waste bunker before striking his ball, Purdy is not buying the Tour rules officials’ reasoning on the dispute. Purdy had a phone conversation with Slugger White, the PGA Tour tournament director and referee in chief, on Wednesday about the controversy. After shooting an even-par 72 in the first round of the Shell Houston Open at Redstone Golf Club, Purdy expressed continued skepticism about the ruling and the message it sends. According to Purdy, White felt everything in the waste area was movable.
“Why Stewart was being so careful, I don’t know,” Purdy said.
Because Cink was in a waste area and not a bunker, he could ground his club, take practice swings and remove loose impediments.
“But it’s still sand, it’s still crushed shells,” Purdy said. “I think the rule needs to say you can’t move the sand.
“Apparently Slugger doesn’t believe in sand.”
In fact, the rules are already clear that what Cink did was wrong. Rule 13.2 of the Rules of Golf states in relevant part as follows:
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, by any of the following actions: ? creating or eliminating irregularities of surface, [or] ? removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position . . .
Cink improved his lie and should have been called on it. Purdy should have won that golf tournament.
If this was a violation, I’m still skeptical because:
-Cink asked Slugger White if he could do it
-Slugger White sat there watching him do it and didn’t say anything
Now, that doesn’t mean White didn’t just miss it and cover for it later — but he was also standing there watching the whole thing transpire, in addition to having the benefit of tape later.
In any event, I doubt the founders of golf are rolling in their graves.
Poon, I agree that Mr. Purdy probably overestimates that which would interest the late golf founders. ;^)
On the other hand, I don’t think the fact that Cink asked the rules official whether he could remove loose impediments in the waste bunker (which he was entitled to do), or that the rules official watched him do so, makes any difference. Despite the fact that Cink could remove loose impediments without penalty, he could not do so and improve his lie without incurring a penalty.
That’s where the issue arises.
The reason that I think that there is more to this than the Tour rules officials are letting on is that the original article on the matter (the one posted on your blog) indicated that the Tour officials were contending that the indentation behind Cink’s ball was there before Cink’s ball arrived there. Based upon what I saw on television (and the telecast provided a close up of both Cink creating the indentation while removing the loose impediments and of the ball directly in front of the indentation), Cink improved his lie and should have been penalized for it, regardless of the advice on loose impediments that the rules official had given him.