Well put.................... one of the biggest instructions to a marker, a person who electronically punches in each shot and where it occurred is: YOU ARE NOT A RULES OFFICIAL AND WILL GIVE NO ADVICE TO A PLAYER... YOU WILL CALL IN A RULES OFFICIAL..............now if the marker is the only scorekeeper who checks them?
Fast forward to more local competitions....the cell phone has become the electronic marker.........but in the end, the scorecard is the final check point... I cant tell you how many times a marker has punched in the wrong number for a wrong person. what then.....double check and triple check works, just like when you peruse your receipt in at a restaurant. Human error is the bane of technology.....
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Originally Posted by BrianL99
Your post is incorrect on so many levels. Not really being a golfer and merely watching a tournament on TV, it's easy to confuse how things actually work.
There is no "official scorer" following groups around.
There is no "official scorer" telling you if you got a penalty.
The one and only "official scorer" on the PGA Tour, is the fellow competitor who has your scorecard and tasked with keeping your score. (If playing alone, it's the "Marker").
If the "Marker" and the player disagree on individual hole scores, The Committee makes the decision. There is no one else to ask, although The Committee might seek anecdotal information from someone who might have information.
People who provide scoring information to "tournament central", TV or otherwise, are in most cases, volunteers. The people carrying the standards that reflect the groups scores, are volunteers. They are not "officials" in any sense of the world. If you ever attended a PGA Tour (or any tour) event early in the morning of the last day, some players go out alone, with only a Marker and no else in their "group". (Jeff Knox being the most famous in history.)
The ONLY entity who can impose a penalty or decide if a penalty is warranted, is the PGA Tour Rules Committee, (or in the case of a Major, "The Committee"). On course, PGA Rules Officials offer guidance, the Committee (who is essentially Gary Young, former Head Professional at Pleasant Valley CC, near Worcester, MA) is the ruling body.
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