Lara disqualified after caddie tried to hide club

I'd be getting me a new caddie.  What's the maximun penalty for having an extra club?  2 shots per hole with a 4 stroke max I believe.  It'd be like making a couple of double bogies.  Certainly not worth getting dq'd over.  Caddie should have said "Hey boss, I screwed up and we have an extra club.  Better let them know now"

I "guess" trying to hide the club in the bushes is what caused the DQ.  I can see how actively trying to conceal a mistake might be taken as a serious breach of etiquette.   It's the bushes part that would have me looking for a new caddie... not the extra club mistake.

Caddie is an integral part of the team and he was caught attempting to cheat. I completely understand the DQ. Compare that to Woosnam's situation in the Open Championship a few years back. No attempt to cheat, just an honest mistake and acceptance of the consequences.

Memories of Woosie at the last Lytham Open, without the hiding of the club.

That caddy got sacked eventually, I think after missing a tee time a couple of weeks later.

Rule 33-7 - If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule. They caddie tried to dump the club in the bushes after Lara had played two holes with it. I'd call that a serious breach of etiquette. And he better find a new caddie soon considering this guy was banned indefinitely from the tour.

I imagine that caddie will be cleaning clubs in a bag room somewhere after that one.  Who would hire him after something like that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas

I like the rules, but shouldn't it have just been four strokes? The guy didn't sign his card, did he?

I know you can be DQed for a serious breach of etiquette, but this wasn't that. So under what provisions was he DQed?

But yes, I'd have a new caddie pretty quickly. I'd pull someone from the gallery, in fact, which makes the DQ that much more confusing to me.

This is a good question---under what rule is the DQ warranted?

It is, in fact, rule 33-7---serious breach of etiquette.  From the second paragraph of Section I: Etiquette; Behavior on the Course, titled "The Spirit of the Game," we have the following.

Thus, while it's not intuitively obvious from the term, etiquette, by definition, includes respect for and adherence to the Rules.

This is interpretation is bolstered by a couple of decisions on 33-7. First, Decision 33-7/8 clarifies the meaning of a serious breach of etiquette.

The last paragraph gives wide latitude the Committee, and the inclusion of abiding by the rules in the Etiquette section clearly grants them discretion to consider adherence to the rules as part of etiquette.  Decision 33-7/7 is an example of this:

Decision 33-7/6 is also similar in this regard. Basically, while the act is not explicitly prohibited, the intent is so contrary to the spirit of the game that a DQ is warranted.

One might argue that the following rule left them with no choice but disqualification.

Rule 4-4c - Any club or clubs carried or used in breach of Rule 4-3a(iii) or Rule 4-4 (this rule deals with exceeding 14 clubs) must be declared out of play by the player to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play immediately upon discovery that a breach has occurred . The player must not use the club or clubs for the remainder of the stipulated round.

Penalty For Breach of Rule 4-4c - Disqualification

Vinson clearly did not declare the club to the opponent nor notify Lara (and here's the key word) immediately upon discovery of the 15th club; hence the disqualification. Had he have done so, the 4 stroke penalty could have been assessed and Lara could have continued play. At least that's how I interpret this rule.

Rule 6-1 - The player and his caddie are responsible for knowing the Rules. During a stipulated round, for any breach of a Rule by his caddie, the player incurs the applicable penalty .

Rule 4-4c applies to the caddie as well.

I don´t know what would be going through my head but I'm certain what would go to my caddie's head : my wedge!!!!

On other threads there was some discussion about the difference between cheating and breaking the rules.

If the guy tried to hide the violation from others, the DQ makes sense. Just because he was caught before the hole finished, does not excuse trying to hide it. The "immediately" part of RoleTide's comment seems violated when you try and hide the violation. With or without the DQ'd, I can image the tour suspending player and caddie and fining them both.

And, the caddie should be out of golf by free market forces.

Unless he had already hidden all you wedges in a nearby bush.

Yeah!!!!!!

Why do the other two players even give a crap though? Incredibly douchey of them to become "suspicious" and blow the whole thing open. It was a silly mistake that gave Lara absolutley 0 advantage.