On Sunday, I watched most of the final round of Annika lapping the field at the Samsung tournament. Since I don’t have the Golf Channel, I didn’t see the end of the tournament and found out much later that night that Michelle Wie got DQ-ed for an incident on Saturday. What nonsense is this? I don’t believe for a second that Michelle meant to cheat, and without malice, there should be no disqualification.
Problems with the rules of golf:
- The reporter didn’t bother to report the improper drop to anyone until the next day after the tournament was all but over. He was standing six feet away. Why not just point out then that she looked a bit closer to the hole?
- Doesn’t anyone but engineers understand “margin of error”? The distance was walked off twice for distance, and was found “inconclusive”. A string was then used to measure the distance and found to be 12-18″ closer to the hole. The rules need a margin; people aren’t perfect.
- She signed an incorrect scorecard. Just what the heck is wrong with correcting it after the fact? It’s not like the checks have been cashed already.
Here’s what should happen for PGA / LPGA tournaments to get rid of ridiculous DQs like this one.
- There should be an “official scorer” with each group keeping score. The players can verify the score at the end of the round.
- There should be a rules official with each group to verify that the rules of golf are followed and to immediately assess any penalties when they happen.
- Corrections to the scorecard for penalties before the end of the round should be allowed. The round is final once the last scorecard is turned in by the official scorer at the end of the round. No more bystander judges.
Pro golf needs to get rid of these antiquated rules that have player serve as their own judge and jury. Rules like the ones above are fine for small tournaments that don’t have the means to provide official scorers and rules officials, but the PGA and LPGA have no excuse.
What a fantastic day of golf at Harding Park on Sunday! Tiger, JD, Monty and Sergio all vying for the $1.3 million pay day. The Tiger – John Daly slugfest on the first hole of the playoff was a classic demonstration of driving perfection. More in Daly’s missed putt ends classic duel. A quote:
John Daly versus Tiger Woods? Man, that’s the best matchup since Predator versus Alien or King Kong versus Godzilla.
The Daly-Tiger bout was considerably more lopsided than the latter two. Be honest, you wouldn’t have bet your entire collection of Debbie Boone CDs on Daly. He was the underdog. Here’s the catch: Daly was the fans’ favorite (although it was a close call, since San Francisco and Harding Park qualify as a home game for Woods, who played two years of college golf at Stanford before turning pro) and, oh yeah, Woods was scraping by without his A-game.
It was a great matchup, much more interesting than Woods versus nice guy Ernie Els; Woods versus go-for-broke, never-won-the-big-one-until-last-year Phil Mickelson; Woods versus world No. 2 Vijay Singh, who does not stir much emotion in the public; or Woods versus Retief Goosen, who can still walk down a street in New York City without being recognized.
ESPN reports Michelle Wie turns pro in Million dollar baby. A quote:
HONOLULU — Michelle Wie, the Hawaii teen who has been competing against golf’s best players since she was in the seventh grade, turned professional Wednesday.
“I’m finally happy to say I’m a pro starting today,” Wie said, wearing a pink Nike shirt and high heels that made her look even taller than 6 feet. “The first time I grabbed a golf club, I knew I’d do it for the rest of my life. Some 12 years later, I’m finally turning pro, and I’m so excited.”
The splashy announcement was hardly a surprise. It had been reported for weeks that Wie would go pro by her 16th birthday next week.
She has signed endorsement deals with Nike and Sony said to be worth $10 million a year, and her first act as a professional was to give some of it back.
Wie pledged $500,000 to the U.S. Golf Hurricane Relief Fund, set up by the major golf organizations.
Say it ain’t so, Michelle!
Golf World (via ESPN) reports Wie to turn pro.
Michelle Wie will turn pro sometime between now and Oct. 11 — her 16th birthday — perhaps as early as next week. In doing so, she will become the world’s highest-paid female golfer.
According to sources involved in the negotiations who requested anonymity, Wie will sign endorsement deals with three companies (one believed to be Nike) worth an estimated $8 million. Adding in tournament appearance fees and other endorsements, the Hawaiian teen’s compensation for her first year as a pro is expected to reach $10 million — not counting what she wins on the course. She also will enlist the services of the William Morris Agency to secure further commercial endorsements and guide her pro career, shunning traditional golf-management companies and suggesting her long-term aspirations may involve transcending the game as much as dominating it.
The USA wins the Solheim Cup 15-1/2 to 12-1/2 with the rookies Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, and Christina Kim leading the way to victory. Sports Illustrated reports Creamer helps U.S. win back Solheim Cup. A quote:
CARMEL, Ind. (AP) — Juli Inkster saw flags waving, heard chants of “U-S-A!” and felt a lump in her throat on the practice range, the intensity building before the first match Sunday in the Solheim Cup.
She gathered all the American players she could find. With their hands together in a collective fist, they broke huddle with a shout that carried them to victory and kept their record perfect on home soil.
“FINISH!”
“That was our key phrase,” Paula Creamer said. “They don’t remember how you start, but how you finish.”