More golf rules stupidity

Hey! Another series for Golf Channel. "After Big Break XIII, stay tuned for the Foot Wedge Classic!"

 

The Tour always has a pool of players in the tournament, but not eligible for the pro-am. Marc Leishman played with Furyk's group.

 

I wish the sense of indignation people had for stupid golf rules carried over into the real world.

 

Every sports has its share of stupid rules.

 

In this case, you'd think the law of common sense would prevail and Furyk would get the benefit of the doubt. He did not intentionally skip the pro-am; he simply overslept, arrived a touch late and had every intention of participating.

But then again, common sense and pro sports leadership are seldom used in the same sentence.

 

Yeah. Like if you don't use your turn signal, someone cal call the cops and they can later arrest you and take your license away for a year.

 

$1,500? That's a Nationwide pro-am price tag. They pay a LOT more than that, Hondo, for a PGA Tour pro-am.

That aside, the point about Fluff is a good one and Furyk would be one of the first to recognize the importance of the pro-am to the health of the Tour.

Five years ago, this happened to Retief Goosen at the Nissan Open. The night before, his agent threw a party for media in the clubhouse at Riviera to celebrate Goosen's new endorsement contract with Grey Goose vodka.

At the time, Goosen was the reigning U.S. Open champion and at the top of his game. His agent said this would be the only chance for the media to catch him before the tournament began.

As it turned out, she wasn't kidding. Goosen overslept and missed his pro-am time, Hello, DQ. Goodbye, Retief, who was chastened by the experience.

 

Actually, that is how it often works in the real world.

First-time offenders are treated differently than chronic lawbreakers. A child that seldom messes up is treated different than one who is always in trouble. A student who attends every class and at least tries his/her best gets a break a truant might not.

Does Furyk have a history of blowing off pro-ams? I would think not, as his reputation is near-impeccable. It sounds as if he would have been there for at least 15 holes of an 18-hole event. He probably would have even been more effusive with his playing partners because he was late.

Very few things in the world are arbitrary. We are not talking about improving a lie, or anything that would give Furyk a competitive advantage in a real tournament. It's a freaking pro-am, which, while important, shouldn't be enough to disqualify a player who had every intention of being there and who made a legitimate effort to attend.

Again, in cases like these common sense should have prevailed.

 

Phil Mickelson says it's a bullshit rule:

“If you’re going to have a rule that does
not apply to everybody, because not every¬
body play the pro-am, you cannot have it
affect the competition,” he said.
“It’s got to be a different penalty. It can’t
be disqualification if it only applies to half the
field [that plays in the pro-am]. So this rule
— it’s not protecting the players. It’s not pro¬
tecting the sponsors. It applies to only half the
field and yet it affects the integrity of the com¬
petition.
“I cannot disagree with it more. I have no
idea how the commissioner let this rule go
through. It’s ridiculous.”