Lexi Thompson's 4 Stroke Penalty at the ANA

[jamo]

Just now, 14ledo81 said:

Isn't part of playing better golf knowing the rules?  After all, they can also work in your favor.

 

Do you really not think she knows the rules?

[14ledo81]

Just now, jamo said:

Do you really not think she knows the rules?

No. I don't think that. I would be surprised if she did not know the rules.

[Vinsk]

I think even Iacas is missing the point here..or at least my point. I don't care If Lexi took a foot wedge to improve her lie....we can rely on player's integrit, fellow player, caddies or rules officials. A VIEWER AT HOME SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CALL/Email/send a carrier pigeon to announce a penalty. Period. Gees. All this nonsense about innocent or not....rubbish...makes no difference to the point at hand which is...NO HOME VIEWERS MAKING CALLS. Crickey!

[GolfLug]

1 hour ago, mvmac said:

That's exactly what I thought but now I'm not so sure. I think the ball may have been in a slight depression. Maybe I've watched this clip too many times but it looks like she's on her way to tap it in when she grounds her putter but then she stops and decides to mark it. Probably seeing that the ball isn't sitting perfectly. 

When she picks up the ball she doesn't seem to do much re-aligning, she just picks it up and puts it in a different spot.

Is she a cheater? I don't know, she might have thought that she was still in the "safe zone" for the amount she adjusted the ball. Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. I think most pros hold themselves up to a high standard and very few actively try to cheat or get away with violating the rules.

Curious what others think but I don't think she's as innocent as I originally thought she was.

Before

 

After

Someone else posted this where they think they saw the indentation. 

Having said all that I still think they need to come up with a better way to figure this stuff out than having people that aren't officials, competitors, committee members call/email about rules infractions. For whatever reason it just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe have a small team of officials watching the broadcast and if they spot something they get right on it. Or maybe the players need to be required to pass a rules test 

From a marketing perspective this isn't good for their brand. The LPGA was basically left with no other option and they're unfairly being blamed for a violation Lexi made but at the same time you don't want your fans leaving with a sour taste in their mouths. Whether it's right or wrong, fans aren't happy about Lexi getting a penalty the following day during the middle of her round. The PGA/LPGA put a product out there and they need to have better control of what goes on.

At this point I'm honestly not sure what "side" I'm on lol.....Just wish Lexi had just tapped the damn putt in 

I have bitten my tongue all day because I knew I would be in the extreme minority. I even texted @iacas few hours ago where I mentioned it looks way too blatant to be unintentional. The curious depression in front of the ball doesn't help ease the suspicion.

Also, I stopped by my course today after work and marked a ball with a quarter and moved it 1/2" just to see how different it seemed. The fact that there is the coin and the hole within a couple of feet makes it even more obvious if you move it even less than that since the two (coin and hole) in conjunction provide a strong reference of position. And if you have marked the ball a couple of million times in your lifetime, then well..

Try it and feign your greatest disinterest/nonchalance/absent mindedness in marking it. I guarantee you will still find it is extremely hard not to notice that it is off position. Especially if you stop to be careful to align it properly like she did..

I absolutely love the kid and like her every IG post but this has given me pause.

Edited April 4, 2017 by GolfLug

[Shorty]

9 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

 Gees. All this nonsense about innocent or not....rubbish...makes no difference to the point at hand which is...NO HOME VIEWERS MAKING CALLS. Crickey!

But why? If you were the only one who saw another player drop a ball through his pants you said nothing and he went on to win a tournament would you think that the moment he signed his card ethics and morals no longer apply? 

Lexi cheated. Got busted. Lesson learnt.

2 hours ago, Hazsa said:

I just can't see why a professional golfer would risk a 2 stroke penalty to change a 6 inch putt into a 5 and a half inch putt. No question for me that it was a brain fart mistake.

So in my mind it wasn't cheating, but she's still broken the rules. I have no problem with the penalty if it had been spotted by playing partners/ officials/ TV officials or whatever at the time. The retrospective penalty based on someone sat at home, and the additional 2 stroke penalty, is a joke that does golf no favours. Something has to be brought in to prevent this happening again. 

 

6" Really? It was closer to 2 feet and if you've never had a ball sitting in a depression or behind a spike mark miss from 2 feet you take too many gimmes

Essentially this is why she "didn't replace the ball in its original position".

Edited April 4, 2017 by Shorty

[Jack Watson]

For those who say she's a cheater (preposterous) what about her reaction?

Come on people the rules are not there to take advantage of they are there to protect the integrity of the game.

"my kid won because of math error"  "things go both ways" "luckily the rules allowed it"

WHAT KIND OF PERSON THINKS THIS IS OK?

Thats why they need modification.

http://deadspin.com/tv-viewer-snitches-on-lexi-thompson-costs-her-a-major-1793951326

Come on golf no more retroactive penalties!

[Shorty]

16 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

I have bit my tongue all day because I knew I would be in the extreme minority. I even texted @iacas few hours ago where I mentioned it looks way too blatant to be unintentional.

You are correct. Many of the people who think she was robbed think that important rules are just the ones that they recognise. 

The LPGA has no business stating that it was not deliberate. How could they? They are not Lexi. That was just PR and all the PGA and LPGA players tweeting are just sucking up. OK if they have a beef with phone ins, but the fact of the matter is that she did something very silly and everything else follows that. She is NOT the victim. What is totally frustrating to me is that everyone who knows nothing about golf thinks that this awesome girl was robbed of a tournament because she accidentally moved her ball a millimetre. 

Don't feel bad because you thought a spade  was a spade that didn't like consequences being applied to her.

At best it was a really really dumb transgression. It won't happen again.

 

3 minutes ago, Jack Watson said:

For those who say she's a cheater (preposterous) what about her reaction?

 

Her reaction was typical of people who have been exposed cheating and fear that their reputation will suffer. It's called panic. I do feel sorry for her, though.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Shorty

[Jack Watson]

Look at it this way.

by giving four penalties instead of two they are implying she cheated.  If she cheated she should be disqualified.

any way you look at the ruling it's terrible and makes no common sense.

If she was caught on tape doing a footwedge to get relief then dq.

Intent is obvious in that case.

in this case it CANNOT be proved either way and punishing her for what they can't prove (intent) is unfair.

The LPGA has a huge black eye right now.

 

Edited April 4, 2017 by Jack Watson

[1badbadger]

@iacas Let me ask this, because I honestly don't know the answer and have never thought of the possibility before...

If the violation had happened in rounds 1 or 2, but wasn't discovered until half-way through Sunday's round, what if the penalty strokes were enough to cause her to miss the cut had they been applied prior to the start of Saturday's round?  You see what I'm saying?  The penalty strokes are added to the score of the round when the breach occurred, so if the player had made the cut by 1, 2, or 3 shots and was playing the weekend, then the violation was discovered and the player is popped with 4 penalty shots to a pre-cut round, what happens?

[Jack Watson]

Calling Lexi a cheat is the move of the chee to muncher.

Great post bad

[WestKyGolfer]

Unless she was blind she would have been able to see that she didn't replace the ball on the spot it was lifted from. You make the call.

[Buckeyebowman]

I chimed in on this yesterday on page 1 of this thread! Talk about on fire! Having finally had a chance to get a look at this deal, I've changed my mind. I think Lexi deliberately skirted the rules and deserved a penalty.

That being said I'm not happy with how the infraction was reported nor the timing of imposing the penalty. I don't know for sure when the LPGA got the e-mail, but did hear on the radio that it was well before Thompson teed off. How long does it take to review a few minutes of footage and reach a conclusion? If at all possible, the news should have been delivered to Thompson before her tee time, and not on the 13th tee!

 

 

 

[Typhoon92]

Watching the video it looked like she moved the ball to the side of where it previously was when she put it back down.  I doubt she gained an advantage.

 

Why is golf the only sport where you can call in for the officials to review things?  Anyone else find this odd?

In other professional sports, the minute there is notice of an infraction possibly resulting in a penalty, all play is stopped so a decision is made.  Why don't they do that in golf?

Anyone who sits at home calling in what they think are rules violations should go out and get a date.

[GolfLug]

28 minutes ago, Shorty said:

You are correct. Many of the people who think she was robbed think that important rules are just the ones that they recognise. 

The LPGA has no business stating that it was not deliberate. How could they? They are not Lexi. That was just PR and all the PGA and LPGA players tweeting are just sucking up. OK if they have a beef with phone ins, but the fact of the matter is that she did something very silly and everything else follows that. She is NOT the victim. What is totally frustrating to me is that everyone who knows nothing about golf thinks that this awesome girl was robbed of a tournament because she accidentally moved her ball a millimetre. 

Don't feel bad because you thought a spade  was a spade that didn't like consequences being applied to her.

At best it was a really really dumb transgression. It won't happen again.

 

That is completely fine with me. I have posted elsewhere in a different rules thread that this is exactly why I think golf in it's completeness is not for the majority masses. The rules tedium (in a good way) is too much at odds with hundreds of things we do all day. Most other sports the players actually actively try to get away with fouls.. How does that remotely compare to golf??

 

 

Edited April 4, 2017 by GolfLug

[Jack Watson]

Great point you nasty hedgehog!

imagine if my proposed rule were true...That would be a non issue.

Each round HAS to be SEPERATE.

I am sure there are many scenarios we have not thought of yet!

great thoughts badger

[CarlSpackler]

I don't like this situation. I can't say whether it was intentional or not, because I can't read her, or anyone's mind. Evidence proves that she broke the rules and the penalty stokes are warranted. I personally don't like armchair officials in golf, but it is what it is. 

[Typhoon92]

4 minutes ago, Jack Watson said:

Great point you nasty hedgehog!

imagine if my proposed rule were true...That would be a non issue.

Each round HAS to be SEPERATE.

I am sure there are many scenarios we have not thought of yet!

great thoughts badger

I agree, each round should be separate.  What would have happened if the infraction was on Sunday?  Given the swiftness of the governing bodies, it would have  have been 5 pm on Monday nite when the tournament was over that they came to a decision?.

[Jack Watson]

with the current rules in place you could end up with major problems with the cut line and which players are even in the last round.

the rules are terrible

its a disaster for golf

Retroactive penalties need to be disallowed immediately.