golfrewind.com

This is rather absurd. She didn't get penalized for not signing her scorecard, for walking away and forgetting about it, but rather for walking too far before she realized it and returned. I personally think this is a ridiculous rule. I mean, if she just takes off, sure, but she found out she had made a mistake, came back to fix it, and did so before she played any more golf - heck, before she even left the general vicinity of the scorer's tent. I see no reason why that shouldn't be a forgivable error.

Then, to add insult to injury, they let her spend a whole day out on the course thinking that nothing is wrong, let her play her third consecutive great round and get into serious contention, and then tell her, "Oh, by the way, your score today doesn't count. Or the one from yesterday. Yeah." If that were me, I think I would definitely be tossing some f-bombs and "Why'd you wait to tell me"s.

This seems like one of those letter-vs-intent of the law situations. Sure, the rule is the rule, but if the infraction was so specific that it took you until the following afternoon to catch it, was it absolutely necessary to enforce it? Then you add insult to injury by waiting until the player posts another good score and gets into the final pairing to break the bad news? The only word I can think to describe it is 'unnecessary.'

So instead of spending her Sunday afternoon competing side-by-side against Yani Tseng for what might be her first ever LPGA title, she's forced to sit at home and watch the final round, all because of another one of golf's goofy rules.

I see what you're saying, and there is a lot to it. But, at the same time, I don't like the bending the rules in a special case nonsense either. The rules are the rules. Everybody follows the same ones, and you pay the consequences if you break one even if you are ignorant of it or didn't intend to break it.

Look, if were driving 65 mph in a 65 mph zone, and then the zone drops to 55, but you missed the sign and continued on going 65, you are breaking the law. You may be the kind of person that would have dropped down to the legal speed, no questions asked, had you known, but the fact remains that you were going faster than the speed limit. It doesn't matter if the road was completely empty and you put no one else at risk, or any other "what ifs" or "yeah, buts" you can come up with. You were breaking the law.

Frankly, I almost think that this is a karmic retribution for her withdrawing on the 16th hole in Annika's event last year claiming "wrist pain" when it was almost inevitable that she would have to card an 88 or higher which would prevent her from being able to play in any LPGA even for a year (even as a sponsor's exemption).

See - GeoffShackelford.com - "Soon after her score ballooned to 12-over on the par-72 course, her parents began consulting with each other and William Morris manager Greg Nared, who had a cell phone to his*ear."

Maybe this will balance her karma, because for the first time in a long time it seemed like she was playing pretty well. She does seem to have a lot of bad luck, but I also think that she's made a lot of her own luck. You can be sure that she'll sign her card properly for the rest of her potentially long career.

Is this the first tournament she's played in?? She should know better. Why does stuff like this always happen to her? It seems as if she always ends up learning the hard way about rules and such. I know golf has some odd rules, but everyone has to follow them.

Rules are rules. With the right attitude, it'll make her a better competitor in the long run.

She wasn't trying to wiggle out of it, in her interview with the press she readily acknowledged her mistake, took full responsibility, and didn't try to blame anyone else. Other more experienced seasoned tour professionals have made the same mistake. What else do you want her to do?

The fact that they even use scorecards anymore is beyond me, they have computers and scorers following the group. Take Boo and Sergio last year, that should have never happened. It is a pretty archaic system and totally un-needed. I am not a Wie fan but I feel sorry for her, it is not like she altered her card or anything.

But of course I do admire that she did take resposibilty, I don't even have that kind of tolerance and I am 37. With that kind of money on the line, I would have torn the officials trailer up.

This really ticked me off when I heard about it. Its 2008 not 1957. How many rules are there like this? Doesn't the LPGA have any responsibilty here? IMO they compounded the problem by letting her play after the infraction occured.

Rules maybe rules, but perhaps this is one that needs adjusting, as it does seem absurd. Not in the spirit of the game at all.

Will someone please buy her a copy of the rules of golf and have her read it, it boggles my mind that someone would play a game professionally and have so little knowledge of its rules.

The rules may seem archaic, but they are the rules. They've been in place for hundreds of years. And they're not about to change them for some young lady that was stupid enough to forget the worlds most simple rule... sign your scorecard before you leave the grounds!

Rule6-6b. Signing and Returning Card
After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 6-6b:
Disqualification.

How simple can it get?


From Brent Kelley of about.com.golf

There are three parties at fault here:

Wie, for violating the rule.
Her caddie, for not double-checking her in the scorer's tent.
The volunteers working that scoring tent for not immediately checking the scorecard to make sure it was signed.

Three parties at fault. But far and away, the one most at fault, is Wie. Signing the scorecard. That's as basic as it gets. And it's the player's responsibility. Michelle Wie should accept that responsibility and blame no one but herself.

One can believe and argue that disqualification is too harsh a penalty for this violation. But, sorry, rules don't get changed retroactively because a player we like was just assessed that harsh penalty.


Argue all you want.. but the rules are the rules... and she broke one.

The rules are the same for everyone,maybe she should spend some time reading up on them.

The problem is she did not leave the grounds, a scorer came out and met her while still on the premises and got her to sign the card. She never left, the LPGA has a special rule that says you have to sign your card within so many feet of the scoring tent. If she had turned around and walked back to the tent and signed it, all would have been well. But when a tournament official runs out, grabs you, and says hey sign this, you hust do it. The official should have ran out asked to come back to the tent and sign it.
I agree that there are multiple parties at fault but:

A. The LPGA is as much or more responsible than Wie.
B. The LPGA allowed her to play another round.
C. The LPGA and PGA should catch up with the times, they have scorers following them. They laser mark every ball, they have computer scoring, and the player themselves. There should never ever be anyone DQed over a scoring violation. I would be like making basketball coaches keep score, then at then end of the game being told they lost because the wraot a 2 insted of a 3. Why have 14 people and tons of gear keeping track of the score and then punish a player because they goofed. Ridiculous.

rc-combat....

Once Wie left the "roped off" area she was doomed. It was too late by then.

The LPGA officials did not hear of this infraction until mid-round.

And still, the rules are the rules. The rule can't and won't be changed for a poular prodigy, no matter how you feel about it. You're just wasting your breath wrangling about it.

That's not a special LPGA rule, it's a USGA rule. While I agree that it's unfortunate and possibly negligent on the Committee's part to bring the transgression to her attention only after completion of the next round (particularly since she was in contention), the USGA addresses this as well.

So, you think that the pros should do away with cards altogether just because their are scorers, witnesses, cameras, etc. to keep score for them? What if they get it wrong? Yes, it's happened. TV announcers have missed a stroke on many occasions...if it can happen to them it can happen to anyone, wouldn't you agree? So why not leave the responsibility with the player? The tradition and rule of exchanging cards, keeping one another's score, and signing them after ensuring their accuracy is time-tested and only fails when the competitor neglects his responsibility...as it should be, imho.

So let's consider what might happen if there's a special allowance for the pro's just because of electronic scoring and media coverage...does that mean that if it's good for the pro's it's good enough for me? What about other "antiquated" rules? Couldn't waiving or completely discarding such rules and standards be considered a creeping corruption and degradation of the game? In my opinion, that's precisely what it is.

The rules are pretty clearly outlined and reviewed on a regular basis by a group of people dedicated to preserving the integrity of the game...who are we, as rank amateurs, to question their intent and integrity? Maybe they're not perfect, but they're doing a pretty good job, imo.

Besides, what's so blasted hard about keeping score and signing the card? What is it with attention deficit and youngsters these days anyway? All part of the maturing process, I suppose.

Shade

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