Fans Can Now Police Sports

The rules are the rules. It's sad that some think that adherence to the rules is a "sad state of affairs."

Refs blow calls in football, even with instant replay. I cringe to think what it would be like if all the fans who thought their team was slighted were able to email in their verdict and get rulings overturned. The NFL has even acknowledged blown calls after the games were finished, but didn't go back and change to outcome.

More to the point of the OP:

The gal who ended up winning the tournament had been several stokes back and received very little TV coverage up until the point of the infraction by the other girl. The TV viewers never knew if she had committed any fouls because her play had not warranted the TV spotlight up until then - she might have misplaced the ball on every putt to get within 6 strokes of the leader, we don't know. So it appears that this new "policing rules via TV audience" will only apply to the front runners, none of the back markers get much TV coverage.

And that brings up the crux of the matter: How can rulings be fair if they are not applied equally to every player in the field? Sure, rules of golf apply equally to every player, but not the extra scrutiny of thousands of extra PGA officials on each hole. Oh wait... those aren't PGA officials, they are fans viewing from home.

Fan helped the LPGA enforce a rule intended to make competition fair for all players. How is that a moral or ethical issue of the fan? Unless of course you approve of violating rules as long as you can get away with it.

But the extra added fan enforcement is not applied to all players - only those who have a score good enough to warrant TV coverage.
 
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This is not basketball. Golf is unique in that referees do not control pace of play and are rarely call real time fouls. Other players may call infractions but that is also rare. Usually, the player calls over a referee for a ruling so that the player gets approval for an action contemplated. For example, the player believes his ball is obstructed by an immovable man-made object such as a TV tower. As this relates to the Lexi incident, marking and replacing the ball on the green is ingrained to golfers of all skill levels. It is a basic rule that is not obscure, unfair, or confusing. Lexi should have taken more care with the full knowledge that cameras and fans are always watching. To assume any fan has an agenda other than seeing the ball mark rule enforced is presumptive.
 
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Refs blow calls in football, even with instant replay. I cringe to think what it would be like if all the fans who thought their team was slighted were able to email in their verdict and get rulings overturned. The NFL has even acknowledged blown calls after the games were finished, but didn't go back and change to outcome.

More to the point of the OP:

The gal who ended up winning the tournament had been several stokes back and received very little TV coverage up until the point of the infraction by the other girl. The TV viewers never knew if she had committed any fouls because her play had not warranted the TV spotlight up until then - she might have misplaced the ball on every putt to get within 6 strokes of the leader, we don't know. So it appears that this new "policing rules via TV audience" will only apply to the front runners, none of the back markers get much TV coverage.

And that brings up the crux of the matter: How can rulings be fair if they are not applied equally to every player in the field? Sure, rules of golf apply equally to every player, but not the extra scrutiny of thousands of extra PGA officials on each hole. Oh wait... those aren't PGA officials, they are fans viewing from home.



But the extra added fan enforcement is not applied to all players - only those who have a score good enough to warrant TV coverage.

Situations like this are not new (one can find examples going back years) and the rules of golf are somewhat unique in their power to apply ex post facto remedies. If I were to make an analogy, one that I think would be better than any presented so far would be this: student from University A reports to the NCAA that University B had an ineligible player on their roster for a game vs. University A, which University B won. NCAA investigates, find that University B did use an ineligible player, and forces University B to vacate the win. They do it somewhat regularly as an ex post facto remedy for rules violations. One (in)famous example: http://www.rockmnation.com/2010/11/21/1828767/the-1960-mu-ku-controversey
 
Situations like this are not new (one can find examples going back years) and the rules of golf are somewhat unique in their power to apply ex post facto remedies. If I were to make an analogy, one that I think would be better than any presented so far would be this: student from University A reports to the NCAA that University B had an ineligible player on their roster for a game vs. University A, which University B won. NCAA investigates, find that University B did use an ineligible player, and forces University B to vacate the win. They do it somewhat regularly as an ex post facto remedy for rules violations. One (in)famous example: http://www.rockmnation.com/2010/11/21/1828767/the-1960-mu-ku-controversey

Ex post facto ruling is always prima facie unfair until one realizes rules apply to all. Before this year, the penalty for signing an incorrect score card would have been DQ. Lexi caught a break.
 
Accusing someone of cheating without substantiation is a true testament to your character.

Quoted so there is a permanent record of this. Sadly, this quote is a symptom of the wider breakdown in respect for rules and laws in today's society.
 
Quoted so there is a permanent record of this. Sadly, this quote is a symptom of the wider breakdown in respect for rules and laws in today's society.


A colander holds far less water than a bowl.

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I personally do not think she intentionally tried to cheat, or place herself at an unfair advantage. As such, the signing of the scorecard did not constitute an attempt to deceive either. The LPGA should have video monitors to check for violations, but that should be for every player, and every stroke on the tournament. This should not be left to the fans days later. Just my opinion.
 
This has happened before. Notably to Tiger Woods.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/m...ings-rules-disaster-masters-article-1.1316258
Interestingly, he was not penalized the additional two strokes for signing an incorrect scorecard, since it was correct when he signed it. (Pre-penalty assessment.)

I seem to recall a time or two before that with other players, too...

Perhaps un-even enforcement with the most recent case?

Chip

I've heard of the incorrect scorecard penalty in at least a few of these situations. It's been a while since I've read the relevant rules from the USGA book, so I'm not sure if there have been any recent changes.
 
I've played in skins games with acquaintances and watched them foot wedge, mis-mark balls on the green, and tee up in front of the tee markers. They all thought no one was looking and they thought they could get away with it. This is not the right way to play the game, whether one is a bogey golfer (like me) or a tour professional.
 
Let's throw in the Professional Gambler into the equation looking to improve his chances by scouring the golfer he bet against, as those in contention get the most TV attention. Bad idea from the start and needs to disappear. Why not have officials look at the coverage and offer us a even longer round, I can't even imagine!!!
Regards,
Jim
 
I've played in skins games with acquaintances and watched them foot wedge, mis-mark balls on the green, and tee up in front of the tee markers. They all thought no one was looking and they thought they could get away with it. This is not the right way to play the game, whether one is a bogey golfer (like me) or a tour professional.

Then you are playing with the wrong golfers!
Regards,
Jim
 
There's nothing wrong with someone catching an infraction. I say good eye.
But, unless an official or a player calls it, it never happened.
 
It's not the fans job to help enforce the rules. You are simply creating more of a problem. It's like vigilantism. You do not want that genie out of the bottle.

How about tourney officials just don't look at their email?

Or, viewers who dime golfers out have to submit their names and contact info, which gets published. Was the snitch identified? A small price to pay for preserving the integrity of the game.

Problem solved.
 
New rules about this effective immediately. The naked eye rule announced by the R&A and the USGA. If a perceived infraction happens during play that can't be seen by the naked eye and only on tv coverage or HD replay no penalty will be enforced (or something like that, I'm paraphrasing here). I think this is great for the game. Eliminate the armchair refs.
 
call in the caddie when marking...every time.
The game is slow enough as it is,let's not slow it down more. ;) I was watching the European tour this morning and actually saw a player (Soomin Lee) get a one stroke penalty for slow play. It would be nice if the PGA and LPGA here would start doling out a few here also.
 
I dont get why she is even moving the ball in the first place.
In an interview the other day, Lexi said she marks her ball with a line as a visual aid when she putts. When she got to the green, she put her marker down, picked the ball up and rotated it to make the line visible, then set it back down. Normally one does this from the rear, but this time she did it from the side, making it easier to misplace the ball.
 
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