The Golf Thread

[Paddingtonwolf]

Nonsense. It is a blatant DQ breach of the rules, not a 2 shot penalty breach. Golf exists on the honesty of the players and this is beyond acceptable.

 

[Del Woppio]

He literally admitted that he did it to stop the ball rolling off the green and leaving him with an impossible up and down from behind the bunker

 

[PuntsWolf]

How is stopping a ball a worse punishment than actually going and hitting it?

As much as it’s all a bit stupid as 1) he’s out of contention 2) it was a moment of rage 3) the course is an absolute joke so is going to make you angry, so it is all a little OTT in the reaction.

However your justification for it makes no sense and is bizarre.

 

[Johnny75]

I disagree. He knew the rules and deliberately hit the moving ball toward the hole. It's a clear two shot penalty in the rules. If he'd have stopped it or deflected it to stop it rolling off the green then yes that's a DQ.

It's a storm in a teacup if you ask me. He's nowhere near the business end. He's not depriving anyone of prize money. He was just mucking around because he knew he was out of contention. Probably a bit stupid for a high level pro to do at a major tournament, but at the same time it's just a game and no-one has been put out by it other than those that are choosing to get way too offended by it.

If you'd have done that to me in a comp I'd have called you a cunt and deliberately put you off on every shot until we finished, then asked you to be DQ'd before calling you out for being an utter cheating cunt in the bar.

So yeah, it's pretty frowned upon in golf circles.

 

[Johnny75]

How is stopping a ball a worse punishment than actually going and hitting it?

As much as it’s all a bit stupid as 1) he’s out of contention 2) it was a moment of rage 3) the course is an absolute joke so is going to make you angry, so it is all a little OTT in the reaction.

However your justification for it makes no sense and is bizarre.

Neither you or Bear play golf do you?

 

[PuntsWolf]

Neither you or Bear play golf do you?

Used to play quite a bit, don’t have time for it these days. Only ever played regularly with friends rather than competitively though.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The two shot penalty is there for the accidental breach where a ball on the green moves just as you are about to putt it. Happens on very fast greens in high winds sometimes. And it is a bitch of a penalty for something you can't control when in the middle of a putting stroke. On top of this most players who have been hit with this penalty either get it later having never even realised that the ball had moved, or call it upon themselves.

This is a whole different level. Mickelson deliberately gave himself a massive advantage. If that ball doesn't stop there was a very high possibility that it would have taken a lot more than three more shots to get down. So a 2 shot penalty is a joke. It's a clear and blatant DQ.

The position on the leader board makes fuck all difference.

 

[The Bear]

I do play. As recently as last week.

Yeah it was cheating and a stupid thing to do. He deserves criticism. However, he purposely did it in a way that he knew the rules would stop him being disqualified. Like I said, as he was so far out of contention it really isn't worth getting so upset about.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It is if you are the players that finish behind him and lose out on the extra thousands in their pay checks. Especially if that extra few thousand ends up costing one of them his tour card for next season.

The rules do not stop him being DQ'd. The only thing stopping that is the USGA having the collective heart of a pea.

 

[Johnny75]

I do play. As recently as last week.

Yeah it was cheating and a stupid thing to do. He deserves criticism. However, he purposely did it in a way that he knew the rules would stop him being disqualified. Like I said, as he was so far out of contention it really isn't worth getting so upset about.

If you played in comps you'd know how seriously it's taken. Even in the simple knockabout tournaments at the local club then you'd probably be dq'd and get a bad rep. As Paddy said it's a game of honesty and if you can't trust your playing partners then the game isn't really enjoyable or fair.

Playing pitch and putt with your mates nobody gives a shit.

 

[The Bear]

They applied the correct penalty. He didn't stop or deflect the ball, but struck it towards the hole whilst it was moving. I don't understand why people are struggling to understand this.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

What are you talking about? Of course he fucking deflected it - he hit it back towards the fucking hole. The ball was past the hole and trundling toward deep shit and he ran round and hit it back.

 

[The Bear]

I'd suggest you need to read the rules.

He played a stroke at a moving ball. That's different to stopping or hitting it away from a hazard or danger.

---

"Phil didn't purposely deflect or stop the ball, which is talked about in the reference under Rule 14-5. He played a moving ball."

"That's where we clarified that, Phil, you actually made a stroke at a moving ball, and so we have to apply that rule (14-5).

"That's different than if he had deliberately just stopped the ball or whacked it in another direction or something like that. So it's just, it's us applying the rules."

 

[Johnny75]

They applied the correct penalty. He didn't stop or deflect the ball, but struck it towards the hole whilst it was moving. I don't understand why people are struggling to understand this.

Fair play Bear, that's top wummery.

 

[broughtonwolf]

Beef made light of it buts its also pretty crappy behaviour towards your playing partner

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I'd suggest you need to read the rules.

He played a stroke at a moving ball. That's different to stopping or hitting it away from a hazard or danger.

---

"Phil didn't purposely deflect or stop the ball, which is talked about in the reference under Rule 14-5. He played a moving ball."

"That's where we clarified that, Phil, you actually made a stroke at a moving ball, and so we have to apply that rule (14-5).

"That's different than if he had deliberately just stopped the ball or whacked it in another direction or something like that. So it's just, it's us applying the rules."

And that is the USGA kop-out. He absolutely did hit it in another direction. I mean if he DIDN'T then the only stroke at a moving ball in that situation would have been to help it on its way.

Their decision is bollocks. And they know it. But it is the golden boy number 2 on his 48th birthday, and they don't want the stink. Like I say, Tommy Fleetwood does that, and he goes home.

 

[The Bear]

If people choose to interpret the word "deflect" in the rules as the same as playing a stroke, then that's up to them. That's not what the rules intend to mean though. A stroke isn't a deflection. That's why there are two separate rules and two separate punishments, to distinguish the two.

In the end Mickelson played a moving ball in a way that was advantageous in a similar way to stopping or deflecting it, which blurs the line between the two. I can understand the uproar but the officials have to apply the rule to whichever one he actually did, regardless of the result or advantage gained.

He's taken advantage of the rules IMO which is out of order and very unsporting. Players are rightly upset and he deserves a lot of stick for it because it's tantamount to cheating. I still don't think the officials deserve as much criticism though. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place and have to apply the rules correctly to the individual offence by the letter of the law.

IMO Mickelson really should withdraw and forfeit any prize money if he had any real sportsmanship or respect for his fellow pros.

 

[broughtonwolf]

They're out watering the greens already. Hopefully less insane pin positions as well today to allow fairer golf.

There should be other type challenges to 20 under point and shoot golf but that was car crash tv and unfair on the pm tee offs

Sent from my PLK-L01 using Tapatalk

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

If people choose to interpret the word "deflect" in the rules as the same as playing a stroke, then that's up to them. That's not what the rules intend to mean though. A stroke isn't a deflection. That's why there are two separate rules and two separate punishments, to distinguish the two.

In the end Mickelson played a moving ball in a way that was advantageous in a similar way to stopping or deflecting it, which blurs the line between the two. I can understand the uproar but the officials have to apply the rule to whichever one he actually did, regardless of the result or advantage gained.

He's taken advantage of the rules IMO which is out of order and very unsporting. Players are rightly upset and he deserves a lot of stick for it because it's tantamount to cheating. I still don't think the officials deserve as much criticism though. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place and have to apply the rules correctly to the individual offence by the letter of the law.

IMO Mickelson really should withdraw and forfeit any prize money if he had any real sportsmanship or respect for his fellow pros.

I'm sorry but of course a stroke is a fucking deflection. It's patent nonsense to argue otherwise. The difference has been explained multiple times. The stroke argument is for when your ball moves on the green in the middle of making a putting stroke or rolls off a stone in a bunker when making your stroke. Everything else is basically a deflection. This was the most obvious breach of the rules seen in a long time and the USGA are using semantics to keep one of their big TV draws in the tournament when the other two missed the cut.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Watched it again. It's a blatant DQ.

Mickelson has started his fourth round well and is moving up the board...