The Tour Code

[TourSpoon]

A recent thread http://www.thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9143 about Rory Sabatini's actions at the Target event and Fred Couples subsequent comments about these actions really got me thinking about the "Tour Code". It is a similar code that you have in most professions that one does not knock his fellow peers, especially for trivial items. It also defines protocol for behavior that most professionals adhere to. The code is either stated or implied. In the case of professional golf it could be a little of both, but certainly it has a rich tradition.

For Freddy to have gone out of his way to comment the way he did is very out of character and suggests that Rory crossed a line in a major way. I have asked this question twice on the Rory thread, but thought that it deserves it's own thread (that and no one really answered).

Have you ever heard of a pro of Couples stature call out another of his tour brethren and take him to task in public?

Some follow-ups to this:

Does it set a precendent for calling people on bad behavior or is this an isolated event?

Will it deter others from engaging in the questionable behavior because they now have an example of the public disapproval that is evident from the very people they walk down the fairway with?

Are there other implications to violating the code?

Anyway, I thought this would be a good topic because of its timeliness and uniqueness.

[bogeyme]

I think it's an isolated incident. This is the first I've heard of a golfer calling out another golfer. I think he needed to be called out for what he has said and the way he has acted.

[NM Golf]

Rory Sabatini is such an idiot that I would imagine people are just tired of him. I mean golf is a gentlemans game, played without referees. You are responsible for calling penalties on yourself. What other sport does that?

So with that comes a certain expectation of class. Rory has absolutely no class, and neither does his wife. Tiger is the epitome of class. The players on tour both like Tiger and respect him. So when someone like Rory disrespects Tiger's tournament its kind of like the straw that broke the camels back.

Fred Couples is one of the most popular golfers of all time. When he comes out and says you're and idiot, then you're really an idiot. And he is right when he said Rory is messing with the wrong guy. Getting in a feud with Tiger woods cannot possible ever be a good career move. It's like being Catholic and punching the Pope in the face.

[themasteroncbs]

Rory Sabatini is such an idiot that I would imagine people are just tired of him. I mean golf is a gentlemans game, played without referees. You are responsible for calling penalties on yourself. What other sport does that?

Tiger isn't a bad guy, but I'm not really sure that he is the epitome of class. I've never seen a truly classy player throw clubs and curse like sailor when things don't go his way.

[TourSpoon]

I think it's an isolated incident. This is the first I've heard of a golfer calling out another golfer. I think he needed to be called out for what he has said and the way he has acted.

Anyone else?

[Alex B]

I think it's an isolated incident. This is the first I've heard of a golfer calling out another golfer. I think he needed to be called out for what he has said and the way he has acted.

Annika Sorenstam called out Michelle Wie earlier this year, when Wie withdrew from the Ginn Tribute and so on (Rule of 88, practicing at the next tournament's site, etc.).

James Dodson, in his authorized biography of Ben Hogan, reported that Hogan once criticized Byron Nelson's lack of practice when they were doing a radio interview together. (This was in 1939, I believe... Byron had made the big stage, whereas Hogan had not.) I don't know if this is "calling out" a pro for bad behavior, but it doesn't seem to follow the code. Other instances include the Sorenstam-Creamer feud (over a drop Sorenstam took), the Mickelson-Woods "inferior equipment" fiasco (again, is this "calling out"?), and the Player-Watson conflict after the first Skins Game. In some instances, the Tour Code all but evaporates when a player transitions from the golf course to the announcing booth. For a prime example, see Johnny Miller, who reminds you that he shot a 63 at Oakmont in the final round of the 1973 US Open.

[flap]

I think it was just you do not quit another persons chairatable tourney unless you are hurt or have Malaria or something bad like that.It does not matter if he gave the money back or not you just don't go there,and from what I hear he left to go to another oversea's tourney?BAD MOVE!!!!

[shortgame85]

A recent thread

This is a superb topic precisely because golf is considered a gentleman's game and because we do call penalties on ourselves.

I suppose with all professional sports organizations, like the PGA Tour ( or the NFL or MLB ), there are specific rules of conduct. I don't know this information for sure, but these are business entities and they must have rules which govern employee conduct, as well as the conduct that takes place by independant contractors within that business' venue. I am sure there are also unwritten rules of courtesy, as well. What makes the Sabbatini incident so interesting, in part, is because it is so rare relative to other big money sports organizations. I mean, who's heard of Davis Love III 's involvement with illegal dog fighting? Among sports groups, the PGA is a bit set apart in regard to the type of player and, even to some extent, the type of fan it attracts. We just don't hear about shootings, spousal abuse and other violent incidents as much on the PGA tour as we do in major league baseball, basketball, football or hockey. However, our society is becoming coarser, and we do read a bit more these days about certain PGA players' behavior than we did previously, in part because of a more intrusive and penetrating media, in part because the tolerance of certain types of behavior is different today than it was thirty or forty years ago. Regardless, I feel we should uphold golf's standards as much as possible. Mr. Sabbatini's actions should be singled out as an example of poor judgement and disrespect. He should bear the consequence of his choices, as we all should. By doing this, we keep golf a sport apart, one that, to some extent, reflects the better qualities that seem to be admired by most of us: honesty, character and integrity. I don't mean to sound so preachy about this topic, but I think if what we have created is worth perserving, it's worth defending. And, yes, TourSpoon, I do think focusing attention on bad behavior by letting the offender, and everyone else, know that behavior is not acceptable will serve as a deterrent. Again, this is an excellent topic and thoughts well worth contemplating, because if we don't, and just allow our attention to drift in regard to standards of behavior, we could end up with the same drug problems, violence and criminal activity one routinely sees in the behavior of players in other professional sports.

[DGStinner]

...from what I hear he left to go to another oversea's tourney?BAD MOVE!!!!

I heard he left early to go on vacation with his family in Hawaii.

[Bluenoser67]

I'm not sure if its the same thing but the boys do a lot of Whinning. Tiger, Phil, Ernie, and others regarding the Fed-ex cup which is kinda funny since its something that resulted from their whinning about the length of the season the previous years. Woody Austin whinning that his self abuse on the course is misconstrued as nutty by the press and the same is not done to Woods when slams his driver after a poor tee shot. The Lowly Cliff Kresge Called Sergio Garcia a Cheater during the Players Championship this year. A couple of years ago VJ complained to the officals at a Major because he said Phil Mickelson was tearing up the greens around the cup. The amount of complaints about slow play is a weekly thing now. I would say the boys yuck it up pretty well out there we just dont hear about it as much as in other sports because the image the tour is trying to promote. Any other leaque tells you the fines that it leves but not the PGA. I've heared that Tiger is fined almost weekly for his language on the course but(thanks to tape delay) we never hear about that.

[TourSpoon]

I'm not sure if its the same thing but the boys do a lot of Whinning. Tiger, Phil, Ernie, and others regarding the Fed-ex cup which is kinda funny since its something that resulted from their whinning about the length of the season the previous years. Woody Austin whinning that his self abuse on the course is misconstrued as nutty by the press and the same is not done to Woods when slams his driver after a poor tee shot. The Lowly Cliff Kresge Called Sergio Garcia a Cheater during the Players Championship this year. A couple of years ago VJ complained to the officals at a Major because he said Phil Mickelson was tearing up the greens around the cup. The amount of complaints about slow play is a weekly thing now. I would say the boys yuck it up pretty well out there we just dont hear about it as much as in other sports because the image the tour is trying to promote. Any other leaque tells you the fines that it leves but not the PGA. I've heared that Tiger is fined almost weekly for his language on the course but(thanks to tape delay) we never hear about that.

Yes, I have heard whining. I read Woody Austin's latest piece in one of the golf mags and he talked about how he does one thing and he is labeled a hothead and that Tiger slams his driver and he is just a competitor. That would be whining.

The image is a big part of the Tour and I don't know how much they hit Tiger with when he lets a choice word fly. Still no real calling out unless the Annika/Wie deal was calling out. I don't know much about what happened there.

[Alex B]

Still no real calling out unless the Annika/Wie deal was calling out. I don't know much about what happened there.

Here's an article about it:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19056814/ Annika said about Wie, "I just feel that there’s a little bit of lack of respect and class just to leave a tournament like that and then come out and practice here."

[Alex B]

Another instance of calling out (which I briefly alluded to earlier): the first Skins Game in 1983, featuring Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, and Watson. Here is a good article about it:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/...w20071102verdi

"I wanted to find Player after it was over," Anderson recalled. "I turned a corner, and there was Watson saying, 'I'm accusing you, Gary. You can't do that. I'm tired of this. I wasn't watching you, but I saw it.' " Alas, Watson thought Player had removed a rooted leaf resting against his ball on the 16th hole at Desert Highlands. Player made par there for a halve, then birdied the 17th for a carryover jackpot of $150,000. Player insisted "the piece of grass stayed where it was" after he investigated to see if it was a loose impediment. "When they saw me, they weren't too thrilled," Anderson went on. "I remember Tom saying something like, 'Dave, you're not going to write this, are you?' I told him that was my job." Anderson's bombshell created quite a stir around the sports world, and when Watson was contacted the next day by a wire service, he did not back down. He expanded on his complaint lodged with Joe Dey, the referee at the match, and reiterated his belief that Player knowingly had violated a rule. Subsequently, Player wrote a book in which he branded Watson "too dour" and alleged that Watson won a couple majors with illegal clubs.

[TourSpoon]

You came through Alex B.

Definitely Annika called her out.

Watson seemed to be overheard and then put on the spot and did not back down.