WHAT ’ S I N THE BAG? RICKIE FOWLER Back to black

The likeable American recently recorded his fifth PGA Tour win

Australian Cameron Smith put the new Titleist AP2 Black irons in play at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He fired a final round of 65 to finish inside the top ten.

Aweek, it seems, is a long time in golf. Had Haotong Li’s controversial two-shot penalty at the Dubai Desert Classic been an isolated incident, the reaction to the new Rules of Golf, which came into effect on January 1, may not have been so tempestuous. For golf’s governing bodies, however, it’s been a case of ‘ It never rains but it pours’.

At the Phoenix Open, Rickie Fowler inadvertently drew attention to one of those head-scratchers – albeit a rule that has been in place for many, many years – that do little to dispel the idea in some people’s minds that golf is littered with rules that defy logic. Having chipped through the green and into water, Fowler took a penalty drop, dropping twice before placing his ball on the slope close to the hazard line. Then, as he walked up to assess his next shot, his ball rolled back into the water, resulting in a one-shot penalty.

Was it the correct decision? Absolutely, according to Rule 9.3, as the ball had been at rest before Fowler walked up to the green. That rule says simply that in such circumstances, there is no penalty and the ball must then be played from its new spot. The penalty arose because that ‘new spot’ was in a penalty area from where it was impossible to make a stroke, so the only option was to drop again under penalty. Was it fair? Most would think not, and that’s clearly up for debate, but it’s worth pointing out that if the bank had been sloping towards the green rather than the water and the ball had rolled closer to the hole, Fowler would have been able to play from that ‘new spot’ even though it would have been to his advantage.

Here’s where the frustration lies. ‘ We’ make the rules, so we have the power to change them. In fairness, this is what The R&A did when bringing in the new rules at the start of the year in an effort to make the game simpler to understand and speed up pace of play. Although letting players putt with the pin in, or dropping from knee height, may take a while to get used to, rules like these, as well as the new threeminute search limit, have a sound enough logic. Such changes have generally been accepted, if not universally welcomed.

Public criticism

The R&A and USGA also acted quickly to address the outrage caused firstly by the Li incident, and then by Denny Mccarthy. To recap, Li incurred a two-stroke penalty when his caddie was deemed to have lined him up on the green, a breach under Rule 10.2b(4), which restricts a caddie standing behind the player as they begin taking a stance. Public criticism of the ruling – led by Li’s peers – reached a crescendo when European Tour CEO Keith Pelley released a statement that called the decision “grossly unfair”. For the head of one of the two major tours to challenge the rule makers was new ground.

In Phoenix, Mccarthy was in the light rough and with his caddie moving out of the way, he backed off to begin his actual shot process. It was deemed enough to warrant a two-shot penalty. A day later, Mccarthy’s penalty was rescinded and the PGA Tour released a statement – one of which could have been titled ‘Common Sense’.

“It is clear there is a great deal of confusion among players and caddies on the practical application of the new rule during competition, as well as questions surrounding the language of the rule itself and how it should be interpreted,” it read.

Then, on February 6, The R&A and USGA released two clarifications to Rule 10.2b(4). Firstly, if a player backs away from a stance, the player is not considered to have begun a “stance for the stroke”. Therefore, a player can now back away from his or her stance anywhere on the course and avoid a breach of Rule 10.2b(4) if the caddie had been standing in a location behind the ball. There is also clarification on what constitutes “deliberately” standing behind the ball.

Work to be done

Grey areas in the rule book are ticking time bombs, the next victim to fall foul of one never too far away. But in this instance, golf’s governing bodies have made a positive move to clear up a rule that threatened to get out of control.

“Astonishing, really, that a game that appears so odd to so many has within it some of the most bizarre rules one could fathom,” tweeted Eddie Pepperell. “If grey areas, cantankerous old men and contradictions are your thing, then take up the game of golf.” Viewed by a wider audience, such comments do nothing to help the game’s image.

It’s worth stating these high-profile episodes are played out in front of a global television audience and such seismic changes will require a period of time to bed in. Coming up with the answers is no easy task with a game quite unique in terms of just how many eventualities exist.

Among the furore these past few weeks, there’s been the odd moment of humour. At the Phoenix Open, Fowler’s caddie, Joe Skovron, was seen scampering away in comical fashion from behind his boss’s line of play. It’s no laughing matter for golf’s governing bodies, though. They may have put an end to one debate, but how many more contentious ones are out there?

A crisis? Maybe not, but there’s clearly some work still required to address the growing feeling of unrest. Changes are being made for the better, and they will take time to bed in. But you’d imagine holiday leave for the rules departments at the The R&A and USGA is currently suspended.

“Grey areas in the rule book are ticking time bombs”