The Phnom Penh Post

Stars want end to review penalties

- Jim Slater

MASTERS stars on Monday pushed for banning television review penalties like the one that cost Lexi Thompson the first women’s major title of the year.

“There’s no question it should be ended,” eighth-ranked American Rickie Fowler said. “I don’t think you could find one player who would say otherwise.”

Thompson was hit with a four-stroke penalty with six holes remaining in Sunday’s final round of the LPGA’s ANA Inspiratio­n for an infraction in Saturday’s third round spotted by a television viewer.

Despite being distraught at seeing her t hree-stroke lead erased, Thompson fought back to force a playof f before fa lling to South Korea’s Ry u So-yeon.

“I know she was really upset and really heartbroke­n. I don’t know how she kept going,” seventh-ranked American Justin Thomas said. “It’s a bummer.”

Sympathy and outrage followed from top men’s players who could face a similar mishap at Augusta National, where the year’s first men’s major tees off on Thursday.

“There’s no other sport where anybody could call in and say: ‘Oh, that was a foul’. It just doesn’t happen,” 2016 PGA Championsh­ip winner Jimmy Walker said.

“I don’t know why we’re the exception, and you get to do that. Nobody gets to call ins-and-outs in tennis. I think we need to change that.”

Fowler said he expects players on all tours to insist officials ignore contacts from replay detectives.

“I’m sure there has already been some sort of push just from yesterday,” Fowler said. “There shouldn’t be any outside contact, whether it’s emails or phone calls. It has been an ongoing problem. It has been talked about for years. I’m surprised it’s still around or hasn’t been changed.”

‘Crazy’ and ‘bizarre’

Thomas was stunned that someone watching at home a day earlier could deny Thompson a major victory for a ball marking error on a putt of mere inches and said any notion she cheated was “ridiculous”.

“It’s just so crazy to me that it could happen after the round is concluded,” Thomas said.

“The fact somebody who has no relevance to the tournament can have an impact a day later – it’s bizarre to me someone can do that, and it cost her a major championsh­ip.

“It’s frustratin­g and it needs to go away. It needs to change . . . I don’t know how the communicat­ion is shut off. It just needs to happen.”

Fowler said he would have no problem if there was a video review official to study replays such as North American sports leagues like the NBA and NFL utilise.

“If there’s an official always monitoring any video or anyone on camera, that’s fine and I have no problem with that, if that’s an official,” he said. “Look at other sports. They go to someone in the video booth.”

But Walker notes that not every player has equal scrutiny under the camera’s glare.

“I don’t think people should be able to call in like that, especially with as many cameras that are on [players],” Walker said.

“Some players have so many more cameras on them. It’s just, I think, it’s unfair. Sounded like it was a really, really bad raw deal.”

 ?? JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES/AFP ?? Lexi Thompson walks off the 18th green as So Yeon-ryu of South Korea celebrates with her caddie after winning the ANA Inspiratio­n on Sunday.
JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES/AFP Lexi Thompson walks off the 18th green as So Yeon-ryu of South Korea celebrates with her caddie after winning the ANA Inspiratio­n on Sunday.

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