More golf rules stupidity

On a sightly different note, did anyone catch the end of the PGA event this past week? On the 18th hole, Atwal had a one shot lead, and had a long shot out of the rough to the green. Based on the conversations with his caddy which were picked up on TV, it appeared as if he deliberately played a shot into the area near the hospitality area directly behind the green so that he would get a free drop. After getting the drop, he got up and down to win by 1 stroke.

Clearly this is within the rules, but is it considered fair play for pro golfers?

 

And here's more idiocy.
Furyk's alarm doesn't go off, he's a few minutes late for the Pro-Am. DQ'd from the Barclays.

Another ridiculous rule.

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ap-barclays-furyk





(Cue the bullshit chorus of "that's the rule and he knew it")

 

That's a rule the tours introduced, maybe it's on the books about 10 years now, when they had the problem that their sponsors paid several thousand dollars to play in a pro-am with Big Name Player X and he turned out to be a no-show without so much as a courteous phone call. There have been very few times the problem has arisen since.

 

Why don't we play one tourney without any of the "stupid" rules?

Players can ground their clubs, practice chips and puts until their hearts content, take as long as they like to hit the ball, carry as many clubs in their bag as they like, wear shorts, not mark their balls properly, move any hazard they like, improve their lie much as they like, change to a new ball after every shot...

Is this what everyone wants?

 

The pro-ams (and the sponsors that play in them) pay for the tournament. They are in many ways, more important than the title sponsor. If you don't have the supporting sponsors providing in-kind donations and cash (hotel rooms, food, clothing, courtesy cars and drivers, volunteers to staff the thing and sell tickets, communications, etc. etc.) - a tournament doesn't happen. Easier to find one big sponsor to write a check than dozens of little ones to commit their time, money and staffs.

 

I wonder how they deal with rain-outs. I figure certain pros demand higher "sponsorships." How much would it suck to think you're about to play a round with Tom Watson only to have it rained out?

 

The top-54 available money leaders in a given week are required to play in the pro-am. That means Tiger, Phil, everyone. In this case, it was the top-54 FedEx Cup points leaders. Amateur partners play as much as $1,500 to play with Tiger, Phil, Furyk or Heath Slocum in these events, so they have a right to expect their guy to show up on time. Most of the pro-am revenue goes to the Tour's charitable concerns. And the pro-ams obviously are a chance no other sport gives for people to get up close and personal with the stars. It's a good system and a good rule and the first one to admit it would be Jim Furyk.

My question is this: where the hell was Fluff in all this? Caddies are supposed to get to the course before their player and be waiting on the range. When Furyk wasn't there at about 7:10, why wasn't Fluff calling his room at the hotel?