Imagine that you are
playing in a golf tournament and have just played one of the best rounds of
your life. Now imagine that the next day you receive a phone call informing you
that someone was watching the tournament from their backyard and spotted you
committing an infraction. This person called the tournament officials and
reported the infraction which ultimately causes you to be disqualified from the
tournament.
Sound ridiculous? Well
this is essentially what the Professional Golf Association (PGA) allows from
its viewers.
It happened this past
weekend at the most prestigious golf tournament in the world --- The Masters. Tiger
Woods was penalized two strokes Saturday after a rules committee deemed he
violated one of golf's ball-drop rules during Friday's play. None of the
tournament officials noticed the infraction nor did the two golfers in the group
playing with Woods. "After being prompted by a television viewer, the
Rules Committee reviewed a video of the shot (after the drop) while he was
playing the 18th hole," Fred Ridley, the Augusta National Golf Club's
competition committee chairman, said in a written statement. So why would the
PGA allow a random viewer call a penalty on a professional golfer?
PGA golfer Bubba Watson
said TV viewers shouldn't be able to affect how players make rule decisions. "So
when somebody calls in like that, yeah, it shouldn't be that way, it shouldn't
be allowed," Watson said. "Nobody calls in during a basketball game
or a football game." Watson has a
point; none of the NBA, MLB, NHL, or NFL would dream of allowing a fan call in
to report a penalty during a game or even after the game is over.
Should viewers be
allowed to call penalties on pro athletes during competition? You make the
call.
I have heard of this happening a few times and it just seems unfair for a viewer to call in and decide your fate if you unintentionally break a rule in golf. There are so many rules that it is hard to keep up with most of them. That is a reason why there are rules officials to assist when a ruling is needed. I believe that a viewer should not be allowed to call in and call out a golfer on a ruling. If the rules officials and the group who are paired with Tiger agreed or saw him and didn’t say anything then there is no need for an outside source.
ReplyDeleteThat is just plain crazy and ignorant to allow a television viewer to call in and complain about what was missed by an official. If the official missed it, but it really happened, then shall be it, nothing should be done. What it comes down to, is if the proper authorities didn’t catch it, then it shouldn’t be penalized. Maybe they should get an instant replay like the NFL. But once again, when the game is over it’s over. The winner at the end of the day is the winner and that’s it, plain and simple. But then again look at Lance Armstrong; he had all his accomplishments and wins taken away from him for all his wins throughout all his years of competing, because of what he did wrong.
ReplyDeleteI was really shocked after reading that this actually happened! If I, a person with no experience have the opportunity to call and claim that an official missed a call at a tournament than what is the point of even having officials. I understand that the person who called in did in fact see a flaw in the official’s job; however I feel that it is not a random person’s job to catch. By this being reviewed and “fixed” after the call, you are not only embarrassing the official, but you make yourself look bad as you have employed someone who is less qualified than the person on the end of a phone call, whom you know nothing about.
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