Woods avoids disqualification
American gets two-shot penalty
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 13, (RTRS): Tiger Woods controversially avoided disqualification from the Masters on Saturday when officials used their discretionary powers to impose a two-stroke penalty for taking an illegal drop during Friday’s second round.
The world number one, a hot favourite at Augusta National where he is a fourtimes champion, earned his reprieve following a lengthy review by Masters officials of a penalty drop he took at the par-five 15th.
Woods suffered a freakish bounce with his third shot at the hole when his approach struck the flagstick before ricocheting backwards off the green and then down the slope into Rae’s Creek.
Instead of going to the drop area on the far side of the water, he chose to play his fifth shot from the same place as his third, going two yards back before getting up and down from there to salvage a bogey six.
Woods appeared to be in potential trouble for violating Rule 26-1 which requires a player to drop the ball “as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played”.
After meeting with Woods on Saturday morning, the Masters competition committee determined that the 14-times major champion had violated that rule but would be allowed to remain in the tournament.
“The penalty of disqualification was waived by the committee under Rule 33 as the committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player’s round,” Fred Ridley, chairman of the competition committee, said in a statement.
Ridley said that an initial review of Woods’ drop had been conducted on Friday after officials had been prompted by a television viewer.
“At that moment and based on that evidence, the committee decided he had complied with the rules.”
Woods finished the second round at three under par, after shooting a oneunder 71, but his score was changed to one-under, following the penalty, leaving him five strokes behind halfway leader Jason Day of Australia. Post-round comments World number one Woods appeared to incriminate himself with his post-round comments on Friday.
“I went back to where I played it from, but I went two yards further back and I tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit,” he said of his drop.
“And that should land me short of the flag and not have it either hit the flag or skip over the back. I felt that that was going to be the right decision to take off four right there, and I did. It worked out perfectly.”
His fifth shot pitched short of the hole before coming to a rest just four feet from the hole, from where he knocked in the putt for bogey.
Woods’ reprieve sparked a mixed response from his fellow players.
Six-times major champion Nick Faldo told Golf Channel: “Tiger is the judge and jury on this. He said he moved the ball back two yards to gain the right yardage.
“The rule clearly states he has to drop it as near as possible. Our rules are black and white: That is a breach of the rules. Simple as that.
“He has to sit down quietly and think about this - the mark this will leave on his career, his legacy.”
Former world number one David Duval tweeted: “Was there intent to break the rule is the question? I think he should WD. He took a drop to gain an advantage.
“DQ believers aren’t wrong. 2 shot penalty believers not wrong. Precedent is now set.”
Northern Ireland’s 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell tweeted: “From Augusta’s statement we know that the possible infringement was detected before he finished the round. Should have been dealt with then.”
In the wake of the slow play penalty slapped on China’s 14-year-old Guan Tianlang during Friday’s second round at Augusta National, there will be a widespread perception that Woods has received preferential treatment.
Guan, at 14 the youngest competitor ever at the Masters, posted a 75 that included a penalty stroke for slow play that put him at four-over 148.
Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old Chinese schoolboy who became the youngest player in Masters history, became the first player in a major to be assessed a slow-play penalty since France’s Gregory Bourdy at the 2010 PGA Championship.
“I respect the decision they make,” Guan said. “This still is a wonderful experience for me. I have enjoyed playing in the Masters and I think I did a pretty good job.”
After being warned and having his pace timed, Guan was given the penalty stroke for a bogey at 17, putting him on the eventual cut line and forcing him to wait until the last group finished to know if he would play on the weekend.
Guan finished on 75 in the second round and on four-over 148 for 36 holes, right on the limit that included 61 players within 10 strokes of the lead.
“Today is pretty hard because if you’re timed only 40 seconds, it’s pretty hard because you need to make the decision,” Guan said. “The wind switched a lot.”
A day after 45 players fired par or better, wind and tougher pin positions over the 7,435-yard layout kept the world’s top golfers struggling simply to hold their positions.
“It was tough. There were a few pins tucked away,” Leishman said. “A few of the easy holes were made tough because of the wind. I was pleased at the way I was able to fight back.”
Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, has teased age history at the Masters before in recent years, leading after the first round in 2010 only to finish sixth and leading after the second round last year only to share 12th.
The oldest champion in major golf history was Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship. The oldest winner in Masters history was Jack Nicklaus, who won his 18th and final major crown at age 46 at the 1986 Masters.
Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, the 2009 Masters winner, birdied five of the last six holes to fire a 69 and stand two off the pace at 140 alongside Americans Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker.
At 15, Woods struck the flagstick with his third shot and saw it roll into the water.
“I thought it was a good one,” Woods said. “I was pretty pissed.”
After a penalty stroke, he repeated the shot and then made a tap-in bogey.
“From making birdie there, I’ve got to struggle just to lose two shots,” he said.
Woods was in a group at 141 that included Australian Adam Scott, American Jason Dufner, South Korean K.J. Choi and Englishmen Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and David Lynn. Only Woods among them has ever won a major.
A pack on 142 included 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, 1985 and 1993 Masters champion Bernhard Langer of Germany, Spaniards Sergio Garcia and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Aussie John Senden and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship winner whose round of 70 included an eagle at eight.
“Digging in and grinding it out was pleasing for me,”