Have The Idiots Taken Over On The Golf Tour?

What a shambles this past Sunday’s round ended up with the events that transpired on the 16th hole.  I mean where is common sense at in a situation like that?  If you for some reason you were under a roc and didn’t see or hear about it, an official put Padraig and Tiger on the clock on the 16th hole after which Padraig proceeded to score a triple bogey, give up his lead, and Tiger walked away with the win.

So you have the last group of the day, playing a great match that gets put on the clock.  Ok they were in fact behind.  But behind what?  For what reason would an official do this?  To be fair, treat everyone the same?  I’m not sure I see the logic in this.

There are those that I know would argue, and already have, that the rules must be the same for Tiger and for Padraig as it is for everyone else.  Like the golfers who were put on the clock earlier.  But my point is not about Tiger and Padraig.

If you’ve made it to the final group of a pro tournament and are playing down the stretch for the tournament, I think that a small amount of slack is in order, no matter who you are.  If you are Tiger or #125 on the money list, I think you’ve earned a little room for common sense on the rules at that point in a tournament.

I haven’t heard of one fan who, at the time was saying “Hey, let’s get these guys going!”. But I’ll bet that a large number of fans turned off that tournament after that 16th hole.  And everybody loses in that situation in my humble opinion.

I agree that the rules and the tradition in golf are a very important part of the game.  But I also think that plain, old common sense is also something that is a part of the game as well.  Agree, disagree, that’s ok.  But that’s just the way I feel about it.

Thanks for letting me vent golf nuts.