Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ_Boston
The only people who question the drop Tiger took on 14 yesterday are people who don't know the rules. And yes I'm including many announcers and former players (Johnny Miller, Steve Elkington for example).
The rule is very clear. The only thing Tiger needed to know was the last place the ball crossed the margins of the hazard. Period.
He asked his fellow competitor, Casey Wittenberg (whose job it is to protect the field), and both caddies who pointed out the spot of crossing. Tiger then took a proper drop based on that info.
This is how the rule is written in the rule book and all subsequent decisions of golf support it.
From the PGA after the incident: "Without definitive evidence, the point where Woods' ball last crossed the lateral water hazard is determined through best judgment by Woods and his fellow competitor. If that point later proves to be a wrong point (through television or other means), the player is not penalized by Rule 26-1 given the fact that a competitor would risk incurring a penalty every time he makes an honest judgment as to the point where his ball last crosses a water-hazard margin and that judgment subsequently proves incorrect (Decision 26-1/17).
If there is ANY blame it goes to Wittenberg for calling the wrong spot.
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Why would there be any blame. Video evidence shows that the spot was fairly accurate which is all that can possibly be expected unless there was an official standing right on the spot. Even the foot soldier announcer who was following the group said that they got it right.
What a lot of people are missing here as well is that Tiger made double on the hole. If he dropped fifty yards back he still would have in all likelyhood made double. The drop was not only correct but it had no affect on the outcome of the hole, the round or the tournament. It is a non subject except to those who want to hate Tiger Woods.
I am not enthralled by what Tiger has done with his personal life, but there is no question that he is the greatest golfer on the planet today and is on schedule to possibly becoming the greatest of all time.
Every time we see him win, we are watching history being made. A Tiger victory is different than a victory by any other player. No other player playing today will be scrutinized fifty years from now like Tiger.