Stadium-Armory
January-9th-2011, 07:16 PM
This has to be the first time I've ever heard of a fan -- at home on a computer -- calling in a penalty on a player.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/sports/golf/10iht-GOLF10.html
Golfer's Disqualification Creates Anger Over Armchair Officials
KAPALUA, HAWAII — Camilo Villegas’s disqualification from the Tournament of Champions for a rules violation spotted by a television viewer has set off debate, and some anger, among players. While no one has suggested that Villegas should not be penalized for illegally removing a loose impediment during the opening round at Kapalua, many dislike the fact that a fan can influence on-course events.
“An armchair official tweeted in to get Camilo DQ’d,” Britain’s Ian Poulter said in his own posting on Twitter (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/twitter/index.html?inline=nyt-org). “What is wrong with people? Have they got nothing better to do? “Yes the rules are the rules. It was a mistake on Camilo’s behalf. He didn’t know he had done wrong, but people calling in? No one likes a snitch.” Paul Azinger (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/paul_azinger/index.html?inline=nyt-per), the former U.S. Ryder Cup captain, posted a less vehement message on Twitter, saying the calling in of violations effectively protected golfers. “A TV viewer calling in a DQ stinks for the player, but no player wants to get away with breaking a rule,” Azinger said. “TV protects the field.”
Villegas flicked away some loose grass Thursday as his ball was rolling down a slope back toward his divot on the 15th hole at Kapalua. His infraction was spotted by Dave Andrews, who was watching the action on television in Daytona Beach, Florida. After checking the rules on the U.S. Golf Association’s Web site, Andrews sent Twitter messages to the P.G.A. Tour and the Golf Channel. Violating the rule normally incurs a two-shot penalty. But because Villegas had completed his round before his violation was confirmed Friday by the P.G.A., he was disqualified from the Tour’s season-opening event for signing an incorrect scorecard. Ernie Els (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/e/ernie_els/index.html?inline=nyt-per) suggested the introduction of a deadline beyond which golfers could not be disqualified from a tournament.
“If it’s a rules violation, it should be dealt with,” the South African said. “Should there be a deadline? If you sign your card, it’s done and you can’t do anything about it. If somebody wants to call in, you’ve got to do it before we are done playing.”
Here's video of the infraction (at the 20 second mark):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSWAJiH3yeI
My first reaction is to feel like this is ridiculous, but the more I think about golf, and how the rules are applied, the more it makes sense to me. In golf, the player is responsible for knowing the rules, and calling penalties on them selves. Its too bad that Camilo didn't know that was a penalty, but he's supposed to, and supposed to call the penalty on him self.
Yet, it seems out of bounds to act on something that was "called in" by a fan on Twitter.
I can't get my head around what makes sense here, what do you think?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/sports/golf/10iht-GOLF10.html
Golfer's Disqualification Creates Anger Over Armchair Officials
KAPALUA, HAWAII — Camilo Villegas’s disqualification from the Tournament of Champions for a rules violation spotted by a television viewer has set off debate, and some anger, among players. While no one has suggested that Villegas should not be penalized for illegally removing a loose impediment during the opening round at Kapalua, many dislike the fact that a fan can influence on-course events.
“An armchair official tweeted in to get Camilo DQ’d,” Britain’s Ian Poulter said in his own posting on Twitter (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/twitter/index.html?inline=nyt-org). “What is wrong with people? Have they got nothing better to do? “Yes the rules are the rules. It was a mistake on Camilo’s behalf. He didn’t know he had done wrong, but people calling in? No one likes a snitch.” Paul Azinger (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/paul_azinger/index.html?inline=nyt-per), the former U.S. Ryder Cup captain, posted a less vehement message on Twitter, saying the calling in of violations effectively protected golfers. “A TV viewer calling in a DQ stinks for the player, but no player wants to get away with breaking a rule,” Azinger said. “TV protects the field.”
Villegas flicked away some loose grass Thursday as his ball was rolling down a slope back toward his divot on the 15th hole at Kapalua. His infraction was spotted by Dave Andrews, who was watching the action on television in Daytona Beach, Florida. After checking the rules on the U.S. Golf Association’s Web site, Andrews sent Twitter messages to the P.G.A. Tour and the Golf Channel. Violating the rule normally incurs a two-shot penalty. But because Villegas had completed his round before his violation was confirmed Friday by the P.G.A., he was disqualified from the Tour’s season-opening event for signing an incorrect scorecard. Ernie Els (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/e/ernie_els/index.html?inline=nyt-per) suggested the introduction of a deadline beyond which golfers could not be disqualified from a tournament.
“If it’s a rules violation, it should be dealt with,” the South African said. “Should there be a deadline? If you sign your card, it’s done and you can’t do anything about it. If somebody wants to call in, you’ve got to do it before we are done playing.”
Here's video of the infraction (at the 20 second mark):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSWAJiH3yeI
My first reaction is to feel like this is ridiculous, but the more I think about golf, and how the rules are applied, the more it makes sense to me. In golf, the player is responsible for knowing the rules, and calling penalties on them selves. Its too bad that Camilo didn't know that was a penalty, but he's supposed to, and supposed to call the penalty on him self.
Yet, it seems out of bounds to act on something that was "called in" by a fan on Twitter.
I can't get my head around what makes sense here, what do you think?