PGA championship

[AIRHAWK]

It's the caddie's job to know everything, or question anything, before action is taken. Now, I'm obviously not there, bit it appeared DJ even asked before addressing the ball.

No he didn't. There was a sliver of sunshine coming thru the crowd right on his ball. He wanted his caddy or the crowd to get in front of it and not move.
DJ got hosed. Takes some real hard nosed officials to make that call. The crowd doesn't usually spend the day tromping thru the sand traps/bunkers. It was trampled ground that just happened to be sand.

 

[hawks870]

He did not ask if it was a bunker, he wanted someone to block the beam of light shining next to the ball. People would move and light would be blocked and then a beam would be next to the ball. The rules official that wa with the group should have said something. A rules official just stated that on the Golf Channel.

 

[woodyk1]

The fact that they wait until the hole is over to discuss penalty with Johnson is also a bit weird, isn't it? Just curious.

 

[FCAS]

DJ got hosed. Takes some real hard nosed officials to make that call. The crowd doesn't usually spend the day tromping thru the sand traps/bunkers. It was trampled ground that just happened to be sand.

He did not get hosed. All of the players received notification before the tourney started that basically any sand on the course was considered to be a bunker. He has no one to blame but himself. The officials had no choice.

 

[Thomzahawke]

He did not get hosed. All of the players received notification before the tourney started that basically any sand on the course was considered to be a bunker. He has no one to blame but himself. The officials had no choice.

THis PLUS...One of the first rules a player learns when they start competitive golf is that you don't ground your club in sand or in a hazard. The man had the PGA on the line and made an assumption. It sounds like the competition committee did their job communicating rules of play. I feel really bad for the guy but you should've asked for a ruling.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

He did not get hosed. All of the players received notification before the tourney started that basically any sand on the course was considered to be a bunker. He has no one to blame but himself. The officials had no choice.

An excerpt from the "Supplementary Rules of Play" that was posted in the locker room at Whistling Straits for the PGA Championship:


1. Bunkers: All areas of the course that were designed and built as sand bunkers will be played as bunkers (hazards), whether or not they have been raked. This will mean that many bunkers positioned outside of the ropes, as well as some areas of bunkers inside the ropes, close to the rope line, will likely include numerous footprints, heel prints and tire tracks during the play of the Championship. Such irregularities of surface are a part of the game and no free relief will be available form these conditions.
Note 1: The sand area in front, left and behind No. 5 green in the later water hazard is NOT a bunker (do not move stones).
Note 2: Where necessary, blue dots define the margin of a bunker.

 

[enisthemenace]

An excerpt from the "Supplementary Rules of Play" that was posted in the locker room at Whistling Straits for the PGA Championship:


1. Bunkers: All areas of the course that were designed and built as sand bunkers will be played as bunkers (hazards), whether or not they have been raked. This will mean that many bunkers positioned outside of the ropes, as well as some areas of bunkers inside the ropes, close to the rope line, will likely include numerous footprints, heel prints and tire tracks during the play of the Championship. Such irregularities of surface are a part of the game and no free relief will be available form these conditions.
Note 1: The sand area in front, left and behind No. 5 green in the later water hazard is NOT a bunker (do not move stones).
Note 2: Where necessary, blue dots define the margin of a bunker.

I saw this too, and kinda chuckled when I read the first sentence..."Designed and built as sand bunkers...". I had to laugh a little because at no time have all bunkers at Whistling Straits been identified/accounted for.

Even so, I'm pretty sure I would have asked, or expected my caddie to throw up a red flag.