Quote:
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Originally Posted by bigmack
Personally, I would have just kicked it out into the fairway and hoped no one noticed.  |
I'd have teed it up before taking a swipe at it with my 5-metal (ever go hunting for your ball deep in the forest primeval, only to find a tee nestled in the tall fescue? Hmmm ...
).
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As I watched on the telly, I asked my wife--or, rather, remarked aloud to myself, since the trouble-and-strife never listens to me anyway--what Johnson was doing grounding his club in a sand bunker. When he did it with such impunity, and so obviously within view of the spectators and cameras, I decided that that patch of sand must have been designated a waste area, hence not subject to the restrictions and prohibitions of play from a bunker. Then, when the rules official approached DJ just after he'd holed out for an apparent bogey on the 72nd hole, I knew he'd been assessed a penalty. I didn't think there could be any debate about it; rather, the official was just doing Johnson the courtesy of informing him he'd made seven rather than five on the finishing hole, which spared Johnson the greater calamity of being disqualified for signing for a score lower than what he'd actually posted.
Sir Nick (Faldo), who was with Jim Nantz and other commentators in the CBS tower, had it right (of course!) when he said it were best
never to ground your club on
any patch of sand if there were any cause at all to suspect your ball might be within a hazard. Lamentable, yes; but the correct call.
On the other hand, I'd never be so Draconian if it were toetoe needing to get up and down from
la playa to break 100.
