Lexi’s Law rushed in to stop armchair vigilantes
PERHAPs it will become known as Lexi’s Law. Just three weeks after Lexi Thompson suffered a monstrous injustice that cost her the first women’s major of the season, a local rule will be announced today to ensure no player goes through the same heartbreak.
whoever heard of the ruling bodies implementing a rule revision after three weeks? Normally it takes three years. But such has been the understandable outrage after it felt like a major was stolen from the American, the authorities have acted with commendable swiftness.
The United states Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient will today announce a measure they confidently predict will make sure the farce is never repeated.
You may recall Thompson was playing beautifully and on course for a comfortable victory at the ANA Inspiration. she was three strokes ahead with six holes to play. Back at base, a rules official was acting on information supplied by an armchair viewer, who had been watching a replay of the third round and felt Thompson had marked her ball incorrectly on one hole. After viewing the footage, the official sided with the viewer.
For marking her ball a smidgeon from the correct place — something no less a person than Phil Mickelson claims happens routinely on the PGA Tour — Thompson was penalised two shots and then a further two for an incorrect scorecard.
she was informed as she was walking to the 13th tee in her final round. ‘Is this a joke?’ she cried to the rules official with the unfortunate task of passing on the unpalatable. Instead of winning by a distance, Thompson lost in a sudden-death play-off. Talk about a punishment not fitting the crime! such was the anger in the aftermath, the topic even dominated the early days at the Masters the following week. Fred Ridley, head of Augusta’s Rules Committee, said: ‘It broke our hearts watching what happened to Lexi.’
we shall have to wait until today for the full details of how the ruling authorities plan to correct the situation, but expect a local rule that gives tournament officials the power, with immediate effect, to implement a fairer outcome.
‘we understand there is a proposal being discussed that would limit the use of video evidence,’ said Ridley at the Masters, so hopes must be high the local rule will finally do something about the invidious practice of armchair vigilantism that puts the sport out of kilter with every other game and makes it look ridiculous.
Fingers crossed, everyone.