Ian Poulter's 4 putt

[ezmoney5150]

I could be wrong but on Friday Ian Poulter tried to tap in a missed putt on the other side of the hole. Was this a rules violation??? If not it was still funny.

[J.P.]

I did see that on tv as well.

I don't know if it is a violation. He was disgusted with putt one, then reached across the hole to almost "drag" in the 2 footer (putt 2). That rolled 4 feet by back to where he originally putt from. Putt three looked like putt one - two feet by, then he again reached across and "dragged" in putt four. By the way, that one nearly missed too.

It could be some violation if there is anything about a "traditional" or "not unusual" stance, but I have not heard of any rule like that with respect to stance before.

That was a shame - if you are going to wear pants like that, you better not four putt.

[CAS]

After he missed the first putt he missed the cut anyway so I guess he didn't care how he hit it in the hole

[pickapocket]

I did see that on tv as well.

First of all lets get one thing straight, the guy is an arse! The message he is sending out by doing that is pathetic, what are all the young kids who clearly follow someone like Poulter gonna think? I for one do not want to be playing with some young kid in a club medal who starts behaving like that, it would put me off my game. As far as legality you cannot straddle a put and put "croquet style" Sam Snead used to put that way and it was outlawed way back in the 60's or something. I do not think he actually straddled the put so it would not be a rules violation. Either ways I would fine the bugger for his petulant outburst. Ei ther that or make him play in a skirt next week.

[chingali]

I did something similar but even more stupid about twenty years ago. I missed a two footer that ended up lipping around the cup and sitting directly behind the hole along the line it was originally hit. I reached over the hole and attempted to knock it back in to the hole in disgust. It didn't quite work out, the ball jumped the hole and hit me in the foot, two shot penalty. I then tapped the next one in for an effective five putt from two feet.

I've haven't tried to backhand one in since :)

[ezmoney5150]

After he missed the first putt he missed the cut anyway so I guess he didn't care how he hit it in the hole

I'll have to look and see if he was disqualified or if he missed the cut on strokes.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

I'll have to look and see if he was disqualified or if he missed the cut on strokes.

The arse missed the cut by 9 strokes, not DQed.

[iacas]

It's not a DQ or a penalty to reach across the hole and tap the ball in. The only possibility would be that you're standing astride the line of your putt, but the rules explicitly allow for such a situation for tap-ins. I called one of my junior golfers on it last year as a test, and a day later another one of the kids showed me the rule.

Specifically: The “line of putt’’ is the line that the player wishes his ball to take after a stroke on the putting green. Except with respect to Rule 16-1e, the line of putt includes a reasonable distance on either side of the intended line. The line of putt does not extend beyond the hole.

[Shindig]

As others have said, it isn't a rules violation, but it is a bad idea. I think - and I'm either going to be corrected or reminded, I'm sure - that someone lost the British Open some years ago, and at one point, missed his tap-in putt, possibly in a similar fashion.

We just do that style when there's a group waiting to hit to the green and the next tee box is open. But we play for considerably less than Poulter and friends.