2010 PGA Championship (SPOILERS)

[Schweitzer_07]

I'll give DJ a huge nod for the way he handled things. No way I would have been that nice through the follow up interview.

They were told repeatedly through out the week and had notices posted, but come on, where was the official during the playoff?

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That's one thing I wondered. Why would the official not do what I consider the right thing and walk over and make sure that DJ knew what he was getting into. With that many people standing around him I doubt he could even tell it was in the shape of a bunker. I can't say it's anyone else's fault, but I feel terrible for the kid and wish more would have been done to right the situation before it got that far. He has a bright future ahead of him, that is for sure.

 

[thedue]

Sad part of it is that this has happened before, at this very course. Just not someone leading the tournament. They kept the ruling anyway.

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[JRod]

Sad part of it is that this has happened before, at this very course. Just not someone leading the tournament. They kept the ruling anyway.

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Apparently Pete Dye thinks its funny, which is a complete joke in itself.

 

[Goins]

Is there any other course on the tour where kids can build sandcastles in the bunkers and they still be played as regular bunkers?

 

[thedue]

Is there any other course on the tour where kids can build sandcastles in the bunkers and they still be played as regular bunkers?

Lol, I can just picture a kid building one on network tv.

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[solidkjames]

I feel sorry for Kaymer because this will overshadow his victory and to be honest it should. Whistling Straits is a ****** venue built by a designer who is so self absorbed he needs to just stay the hell off tv and the PGA needs to drop WS from the rotation until it is a course that is fit to play without fan interference. The rules official didn't tell him it was a bunker because he didn't know it was a bunker. This whole tournament was a waste of time to even watch when the ending is tarnished for all time.

 

[Sean]

Richer Lerner quoted Pete Dye as saying that golf is not fair and golf courses shouldn't be fair, or words to that effect.

 

[Goins]

Lol, I can just picture a kid building one on network tv.

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There was! They showed a little girl yesterday digging holes in one of the bunkers.

 

[Vegan702]

Pretty sad another PGA and Ryder Cup will be played at this course in the future. Hopefully they designate bunkers outside the ropes as waste bunkers before the next tournaments or at least keep people out of them. I honestly believe a majority of the players would have played it the same way, I mean when you have people sitting on the bunker while he was hitting his shot, how would you know? They didn't even have the courtesy to move out of the bunker/waste bunker, they had at least 4-6 people sitting on the top lip of the bunker while he was playing his shot! Pathetic at best!

 

[Brazz]

I must say in watching the the Golf channel tonight the Pete Dye interview grated on me. His little chuckle about things just came off as smug and detached from what just happened. I live near a Pete Dye course and at this point I'm thinking about filling my Labrador Retriever up and going for a long walk tonight. I will let my partner in crime mark any of Pete's bunkers he sees fit.:bashful:

 

[Goins]

I must say in watching the the Golf channel tonight the Pete Dye interview grated on me. His little chuckle about things just came off as smug and detached from what just happened. I live near a Pete Dye course and at this point I'm thinking about filling my Labrador Retriever up and going for a long walk tonight. I will let my partner in crime mark any of Pete's bunkers he sees fit.:bashful:

The Dye interview was a bit irritating. I liked the part where he said all of the bunkers were in play because his bride said they should be. I still say the bunkers that the patrons have access to should be waste bunkers but I don't ever see that happening. Not when the designer finds joy in what happened.

 

[Preachaboy]

Apparently Pete Dye thinks its funny, which is a complete joke in itself.

I felt when this tournament started at this course, that the course was TOTALLY unfair. I believe this is where the PGA and hell, even Pete Dye are losing credibility with me. Yes, it was a correct call but why in the world would you NOT make it a waste bunker.

I think Pete is high of his own supply and PGA is stroking his fallice about his designs. We all like it when we see the best in the world struggle but to do things like this to players to absolutely unfair. Notice the rule official was immediate to me DJ after he finished out but wasn't around when he prepared to hit the shot.

 

[Hanks]

+1 I think Justin Rose sported the exact same look when he won at Aronimink last month....Taylormade scripting baby!

I feel bad for Dustin Johnson, but really he should have been up on the rules. Especially if they had this posted in as many areas as they are reporting. Tough break. Also a tough break for Bubba Watson, he played well enough to win this event, 2 swings total, 17th tee in regulation then the 2nd shot on 18 in the playoff. Man! I'm happy he made the Ryder Cup though!!

Side note- maybe it was mentioned earlier but I really liked Dustin Johnson's blue on blue with white belt/hat/shoes look today!

 

[JPsuff]

I felt when this tournament started at this course, that the course was TOTALLY unfair. I believe this is where the PGA and hell, even Pete Dye are losing credibility with me. Yes, it was a correct call but why in the world would you NOT make it a waste bunker.

I think Pete is high of his own supply and PGA is stroking his fallice about his designs. We all like it when we see the best in the world struggle but to do things like this to players to absolutely unfair. Notice the rule official was immediate to me DJ after he finished out but wasn't around when he prepared to hit the shot.

When I first saw DJ set his club down on that sand (dirt?) before he even asked someone to move so that their shadow would block that little sliver of sunlight I thought to myself that someone is going to ask about it.

Sure enough, the issue came up and initially I was pissed that they were going to make a big deal out of this. I was even more annoyed after Feherty (now at the scene of the crime) described the area as resembling a manger more than a bunker and it did indeed look more like the area near the beer tent at a carnival than a sand trap on a golf course.

But what changed my mind was the explanation put forth by the PGA official who went out of his way to point out that this was the very first thing they discussed with the players and that the players should basically regard any area of the course which wasn't grass as a bunker. He even went on to point out that crowds may have trampled such areas and left footprints and other irregularities and they should all be considered to be part of the general conditions.

After that explanation, there was nothing else to say.
There's an old legal axiom which says: "ignorance of the law is not an excuse" and I believe that this is a perfect example of that. If I were in DJ's situation, with the lead and the championship hanging in the balance, I would have asked for a sworn affidavit from a PGA official before I would have taken a chance on grounding my club onto anything that wasn't grass - especially in light of the issue of "What constitutes a bunker" being the number one thing discussed before the tournament even started.

Did it look like a bunker? No. But the players were told that anything that wasn't grass probably was a bunker, so in this case it was DJ's responsibility to make sure that he knew what he was dealing with before proceeding.

Believe me, no one argues about the silliness or capriciousness of the Rules of Golf more than I, but in this case the rule was clear and DJ screwed the pooch.


-JP

 

[_JL_]

Great post, JP.

 

[Badger_Golfer]

It sucks for DJ, but I really dont feel sorry for him. You cant blame Kohler, or Pete Dye or the PGA. They made it perfectly clear that any bunker (even outside of the ropes) would be treated as a hazard and that these bunkers might not be raked and may have footprints or tire tracks on them. Where Im from, if its a hole in the ground with sand in it, its a bunker. I dont know what more you could ask them to do, they handed each of the players and their caddy a copy of the local rules and it was posted all over the locker room. I think what happened is that DJ saw that he was outside the ropes and didnt think it was a bunker because of that and he was wrong.
If there was any doubt about whether or not it was a bunker, he should have called for an offical to get a ruling.
Its a shame that such a great tournament at such a beautiful venue was overshadowed by a player who didnt take the time to familiarize himself with the local rules.

 

[Goins]

How could you walk up to this shot in a major, knowing the rules that were in place, and not get a ruling or atleast assume it was a bunker?

 

[TOAOST21]

Golf Channel's John Feinstein is now reporting that many of the top rules officials are saying that David Price messed up and should have gone with DJ and that the marshals did a horrible job and that saying Price couldn't get to DJ. Also Cink just said in light of the pga finish Augusta has announced bunker seating along the 18th for this upcoming masters tournament

 

[Sunday_Hacker]

this is a major, the PGA championship, having all those people in the bunker with him is a disgrace to the PGA. and I agree a 100% degoins if this was the view he had of his ball it is all on him for not asking for clarifcation or knowing the rule that was posted all week all over the clubhouse.

How could you walk up to this shot in a major, knowing the rules that were in place, and not get a ruling or atleast assume it was a bunker?

 

[Goins]

this is a major, the PGA championship, having all those people in the bunker with him is a disgrace to the PGA. and I agree a 100% degoins if this was the view he had of his ball it is all on him for not asking for clarifcation or knowing the rule that was posted all week all over the clubhouse.

I agree 100% with you SH, that is totally uncalled for. Whats worse is they have no intention of changing the rules according to the honchos in charge. If you watch the video I posted earlier in this thread, as soon as DJ hits he completely disappears because the crowd completely surrounds him. I've never seen such a mess on a golf course in all my life. You would think it would have been a security issue. It seems to be everywhere else.

 

[Tenorx]

Michael Breed and Rich Beem on the PGA.com "marquee coverage" said immediately -- in real time -- that DJ's drive landed "in a bunker." And they were very suspicious that he "may have grounded his club" in said bunker -- again, in real time.

Of course they had the benefit of a camera's bird's eye view of the course. That there photo posted above don't look like no bunker Ah've ever seen. (No excuse, though -- the posted rule's the rule.)

Question: did the CBS coverage team come to the same snappy conclusion as Breed and Beem on this? (Those two were great, IMO!)

 

[Badger_Golfer]

How could you walk up to this shot in a major, knowing the rules that were in place, and not get a ruling or atleast assume it was a bunker?

Exactly! DJ and his caddie blew it and the fact that spectators were standing in the bunker doesnt change the fact that it is a bunker. I feel for the guy, but rules is rules.

 

[madmike]

How could you walk up to this shot in a major, knowing the rules that were in place, and not get a ruling or atleast assume it was a bunker?

Hmmm... isn't it also a penalty for the caddie putting the bag in the bunker? Maybe DJ was hosed even if he didn't ground the club? Crazy course.

Edited to add: Oops, don't think that's a penalty. Couldn't find it in the rulebook. Guess you can take your bag into the bunker with you?

 

[RxGus]

Hmmm... isn't it also a penalty for the caddie putting the bag in the bunker? Maybe DJ was hosed even if he didn't ground the club? Crazy course.

This is a repost- but it applies in this thread too.

This is what I HATE about this entire situation... is that it is making people HATE a beautiful course that, in all honesty, was built to handle the types of galleries Majors attract. EVERY green and nearly EVERY tee are built into amphitheater that give fans a wonderful view even if you are 10 rows back. While I agree the bunkers are in some ways overkill, they do look nice and Whistling Straits is a very aesthetically pleasing course.

PLEASE don't blame/hate the course. Hate the people that made the rule... they should have been waste areas. To say though, that the course is cheap/gimmicky I think fails to recognize the course for what it is. A course that challenged the worlds best golfers to be accurate, to make smart decisions, and to play good golf for 4 straight days. I fail to see how that is gimmicky.

 

[Esox]

I saw somewhere that Johnson had asked for clarification from a rules official on two prior occasions about sandy lies. Couple that with the rules sheets apparently plastered everywhere the players looked and he and his caddy really blew it. I heard Bobby Brue, a an old Cheeseland pro that played a bit on the tour in the 60's and also on the Senior Tour make an interesting comment today. By not doing his job, Johnson's caddy cost himself a ton of money. He was guessing the guy gets 5% for a non-win and 10% for a win. His payday went from like $135,000 to $15,000.

That's a lot of fescue.

I bet he reads the rules sheets from now on.

Kevin