PGA Tour Players Not Marking Balls when In Position to Assist Another Player, #Backstopping

[rehmwa]

11 hours ago, Vinsk said:

If one player is 150yds out, strikes his ball next to the hole and the next player is 90yds out and the ball is just behind the hole and he plays his shot (not expecting the other player to walk the 150yds to mark his ball) we wouldn't suspect backstopping.

and yet they'd fist bump - even a numb ape knows that

the actions after the shot is hit doesn't matter, just the communications that went before.  any mindreading aside, interpretations of following actions is just armchair quarterbacks selfrighteously patting themselves on the back and looking for additional validation where extra is not needed.  Clearly calling off Jutanagarn from marking is sufficient, the rest is fluff.  Overkill in this case just makes one not want to listen to the bluster..

Edited March 1, 2019 by rehmwa

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, rehmwa said:

Clearly calling off Jutanagarn from marking is sufficient, the rest is fluff. 

Well apparently not. And it’s not ‘fluff.’ It’s supporting evidence. What you call sufficient ( and I agree) they defended saying ‘ I only called her off to keep the pace of play going.’ I’m simply saying the fist bump sure as hell wasn't to celebrate their courageous attempt to successfully play faster. Not sure why you’re getting so worked up over this calling me self righteous and patting myself on the back. Hell you even agree they breached the rule. And Erik made a good point in saying they wouldn’t have done this in a Match play which is pure speculation but obviously true from any reasonable person. Olsen lied in her statement. Period. I’m not concerned about this to a point where I feel my righteousness is in danger nor do I give a rat’s ass about any validation. It’s just a discussion so take it easy.

[The Recreational Golfer]

13 hours ago, iacas said:

Players should just honor 15.3.

 

But it appears they are not.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, The Recreational Golfer said:

But it appears they are not.

We know they aren’t. JT, Jimmy Walker, etc. have admitted as much.

[ssbn611]

On 3/1/2019 at 8:51 AM, iacas said:

Who f***ing cares about Twitter? Half the responses I saw saying "no penalty" or "that's a stupid rule" also said things like "if she could aim at and hit a ball why not just aim at the hole?" - Completely missing the f***ing point and using bad logic to do it.

I wouldn't say it got "murky" - I would say the LPGA Tour botched it.

That or I'm just completely wrong and that you can just make up a reason and so long as you don't say "to help her or him" then you get away with it.

---

Another version of "reasonable" would be "if the players were in match play, would anyone suggest/insist that they mark their ball."

I just watched the video and I can't even imagine a more egregious display of backstopping. With the ball removed, Olson was probably 10+ feet past the hole.

hen the fist bump after just makes it even worse and who cares what their actual intent was. When they did that I heard in my head 'Hey we just f***ed the field ha ha'.

[Missouri Swede]

I don't recall seeing this one previously.  They played it during the broadcast of today's tournament.

 

[iacas]

That qualifies too. Definitely.

Backstopping doesn't have to be behind the hole to provide an advantage.

[BallStriker]

Bjeergard (sp?) just left his ball unmarked in a spot to help Kuchar, and this is match play.......the horror

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, BallStriker said:

Bjeergard (sp?) just left his ball unmarked in a spot to help Kuchar, and this is match play.......the horror

Sergio told him to do it.

[DeadMan]

Not sure if that’s an Am or not, but yikes. 

[colin007]

Egregious. Inexcusable.

[Zeph]

I don't think he can use pace of play as an argument. I bet Knox spent a few minutes surveying his shot.

[leftybutnotPM]

He said "Hit my ball!" Amazing.

[Vinsk]

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by Vinsk

[colin007]

 

[phan52]

About twenty years ago I was playing in a Better Ball match. I was off to the side of the green and my partner's ball was about four feet from the cup. He had hit his shot from about 70 yards away and he wasn't anywhere near the green to mark it when I was ready to play. The thought went through my head that it was possible that my ball could hit his and stay close but it's not like I aimed for his ball, I was aiming at the cup. I hit his ball and mine went in the hole for birdie and we won the hole. I don't think I did anything wrong.  

[DaveP043]

29 minutes ago, phan52 said:

About twenty years ago I was playing in a Better Ball match. I was off to the side of the green and my partner's ball was about four feet from the cup. He had hit his shot from about 70 yards away and he wasn't anywhere near the green to mark it when I was ready to play. The thought went through my head that it was possible that my ball could hit his and stay close but it's not like I aimed for his ball, I was aiming at the cup. I hit his ball and mine went in the hole for birdie and we won the hole. I don't think I did anything wrong.  

You did absolutely nothing wrong.  In match play, your opponents had the opportunity to have that ball marked, to FORCE you to have the ball marked before you played.  That they allowed you to play with the ball right there was a mistake on their part.  That's a primary different between match and stroke play, in match play a player (or team) can protect itself, in stroke play the FIELD cannot do the same thing.  That's why its such a big deal in stroke play tournaments when a player does something that can help another player, that can give that other player an advantage that nobody else might have.

[Vinsk]

17 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

That's why its such a big deal in stroke play tournaments when a player does something that can help another player, that can give that other player an advantage that nobody else might have.

Which is why they all just do the backstopping. You look like an ass If you stop to go mark your ball. It shouldn’t be that way.