Photos show Tiger Woods may not have deserved a two-stroke penalty

Photos show Tiger Woods may not have deserved a two-stroke penalty











Dan Wetzel April 14, 2013 4:43 PMYahoo Sports






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(Photo courtesy of Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle)AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty and received a mountain of criticism after taking an illegal drop on the 15th hole of Friday's Masters that sent the venerable tournament in chaos.



The question now, however, is whether he actually committed a violation at all, or instead was the victim of a false confession.

The Augusta Chronicle on Sunday printed two photos by staffer Michael Holahan of Woods' two chip shots from the 15th fairway. The first hit the flagstick and rolled into the water, forcing Woods to take a one-stroke penalty and then drop his ball "as nearly as possible" to his original location.

The Chronicle circled various divots in the 15th fairway to show Woods' second shot was in almost the exact same location as the first.

While the photos may not be conclusive evidence and they will no doubt be picked apart, Tiger does appear to be standing within inches of where he took his first shot, not the two yards that he himself thought he had moved.





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Tiger Woods takes a drop on the 15th hole after his ball went into the water. (AP)Holahan maintained his location for both shots, offering a clear comparison. Television replays, on the other hand, came from different locations as an ESPN cameraman on the course set up in slightly different locations.



Masters scoring officials were not immediately available for comment. Tiger's agent, Mark Steinberg, was shown a copy of the picture while watching Tiger on the back nine Sunday and declined comment.

"They made a ruling and we've moved on," Steinberg said.

Tiger wanted to move on after he finished the Masters tied for fourth at 5-under, four shots behind eventual winner Adam Scott. He said despite seeing the photos and not being certain how far behind the original drop he was, he insisted there was a violation.

"I saw the photos, I was behind it," Tiger said. "It was certainly not as close as the rule says."

It’s essentially the conclusion to back and forth drama that at times overwhelmed the tournament.

The Masters said that scoring officials were alerted of the possible rule violation by a television viewer. Their initial review of the film concluded that nothing untoward occurred.

[Related: TV viewer's call leads Masters officials to penalize Tiger Woods]

When Tiger finished his round he was asked about the drop by the media.

"I went back to where I played it from, but I went two yards further back and I took, tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit," Tiger said. "And that should land me short of the flag and not have it either hit the flag or skip over the back. I felt that that was going to be the right decision to take off four right there. And I did. It worked out perfectly."

That admission that he purposely moved the ball two yards back caused the Masters to reopen the investigation and call Woods to the course on Saturday morning. He was retroactively assessed a two-stroke penalty, yet avoided disqualification, which was also an option.

Many golf traditionalists, broadcasters and columnists assailed the decision. They also called on Tiger to step down from competition under a strict interpretation of golf's rules and traditions.

He instead played on. He was also asked for an explanation of his thought process in making the mistake.

"You know, I wasn't even really thinking," Tiger said. "I was still a little ticked at what happened, and I was just trying to figure, okay, I need to take some yardage off this shot, and that's all I was thinking about was trying to make sure I took some yardage off of it, and evidently, it was pretty obvious, I didn't drop in the right spot."

Was Tiger so ticked and not thinking that he believed he dropped in a spot that wasn't where he actually dropped?

Or did he intend to go two yards back, only to actually shoot from the proper location. That would put golf's already arcane rules into the ultimate quandary – can you be penalized for intending to violate a rule even if you didn't actually violate it?

The new photos – perhaps convincing to some, perhaps easy to dismiss by others – just adds a new chapter to what was already one of the strangest controversies in the tournament's illustrious history.

Guan ends Masters with 75, says 'learned a lot'

Guan ends Masters with 75, says 'learned a lot'











PGA.COM April 14, 2013 6:24 PM

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At the Masters, Guan Tianlang never had a three-putt and his worst hole was a bogey.(Getty Images)


By Nancy Armour, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- No matter what the leaderboard says, Guan Tianlang leaves the Masters a winner.

Making history from the moment he stepped on the first tee Thursday, the 14-year-old made quite an impression on Augusta National. He finished the week without a double bogey, and never had a three-putt. (Not one that counted, anyway, though Guan was quick to point out he had one from off the green.)

With a 75 on Sunday, he finished the tournament at 12-over 300 -- maybe not a threat to the leaders, but not the worst score, either.

Even a slow-penalty that nearly cost him the chance to play on the weekend couldn't spoil his fun.

"The whole week is great for me," Guan said. "I really enjoy it. I'm having fun, and hopefully I play some good golf."

Every day brought a new adventure for the eighth-grader from China, and Sunday was no different. After making birdies on 13 and 16 -- he missed another on 15 when his 3-foot putt skirted the low side of the hole -- his tee shot on 17 landed in a spectator's bag of souvenirs.

"I heard the sound of the ball hitting plastic and looked down," said Tom Lowndes, who was crossing the adjacent 15th fairway. "The ball was sitting right there on top of this hat."

Guan could only laugh when he saw his ball, smiling broadly as he reached into the bag to grab it. He consulted with a rules official -- he's practically on a first-name basis with the whole crew after his slow play problems -- and eventually took a drop a few yards back and out of the walkway. He went up and over the trees in front of him and landed in the fairway, but his third shot left him 20-plus feet short of the pin.

He got within 2 feet, and tapped in for a bogey.

"It's all right," he said. "A bogey (there) is not bad."

He two-putted from 40 feet to close out his first Masters with a par. Fans around the green gave him a standing ovation, and Guan waved his baseball cap in acknowledgment.

"I'm so happy, I'm so proud of him," said Guan's father, Han Wen. "In front of so many patrons, at such a great tournament, he played his game and stayed calm.

"I believe he will come here many times."

Could be. It isn't hard to see the polite teen as golf's next global icon. Fans were captivated by his precocious talent and calm maturity, and his baby face and sweetness -- his mom still packs him snacks -- only added to his appeal.

In what was sure to delight Masters officials -- and anyone else with a stake in the golf game -- there were more shouts of "Jia You!" (Chinese for "Let's go!") than "Get in the hole!" Several pockets of Chinese fans trailed Guan, almost all carrying bags stuffed with Masters merchandise.

Golf's popularity is still in its infancy in China, where it was considered an imperialist sport until recently. The tours, sponsors and television are all eager to tap into that massive market, and having a home-grown star like Guan would only help. The Chinese media contingent at the Masters more than tripled from last year, and Guan's followers on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, is already close to 30,000.

For now, however, it's back to being a kid.

Guan still goes to regular public school in his hometown of Guangzhou, with English, math and history his favorite subjects. (Asked what classes he took, Guan said, "China, you don't take classes, they give you classes.") He lugged six of his textbooks along with him to Augusta and, after letting his studies slide the last few days, he planned to hit the books Sunday night.

He and his parents initially planned to directly return to China, but that's now up in the air. He's received several invitations to play in other events, and he and his parents are trying to decide which ones to accept. He'd also like to try to qualify for the U.S. Open.

One thing Guan won't be doing any time soon is turning professional.

His father said Thursday that he wants Guan to stay an amateur because "amateurs have fun. Enjoy it." And Guan said he still has a lot to learn. Though he's got a short game any pro would envy, he's nowhere close to the big guys when it comes to distance. That's sure to change as he gets older and stronger.

"Remember, he's only 14," said Sandy Lyle, the 1988 Masters champion who was paired with Guan on Sunday. "In another three years, you'll probably see a huge difference in his length."

And, Guan hopes, the rest of his game, too.

"There's still a lot of things to learn to improve," he said. "So nothing to rush."

Well, maybe just one thing.

Asked when he thought he might like to win the Masters, he said:

"As soon as possible."

Watson makes a 10 in his final round as champ

Watson makes a 10 in his final round as champ











PGA.COM April 14, 2013 8:08 PM

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Bubba Watson ended his Masters title defense at 7-over 295, 17 shots worse than the 278 he shot a year …



AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Bubba Watson is done with his Masters after shooting a 5-over 77 Sunday that included a 10 on the 12th hole.

The defending champion finished the tournament at 7-over 295, 17 shots worse than the 278 he shot a year ago.

Watson had no trouble with the 10th hole, where he famously hit a wedge out of the trees to beat Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff. He made par on the hole Sunday, but two holes later ran into a disaster on the par-3 12th.

Watson hit his tee shot in the water, then hit another one in the water from the drop area. His fifth went into a back bunker, but his shot from there rolled past the pin into the water. He made a 12-footer for his 10.

Phil Mickelson Couldn't Hang 10 at Rainy Quail Hollow

Phil Mickelson Couldn't Hang 10 at Rainy Quail Hollow











Ryan Ballengee May 6, 2013 1:48 PM


COM
MENTARY | Phil Mickelson had no business winning the Wells Fargo Championship, and, in the end, he didn't.





Mickelson came up short of a playoff at Quail Hollow when two bogeys in the final three holes left him a shot out of the overtime with Englishman David Lynn and Derek Ernst, who was fourth alternate heading into the week.



The 41-time PGA Tour winner bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes down the stretch, taking him from one shot clear of the field to a solo third-place finish. Mickelson carded a second-consecutive 1-over-73, unable to drain the par-savers he so effortlessly made in the opening two rounds.



Over the first two days, Mickelson did not miss a single putt from inside 10 feet, going 31-for-31. However, on Sunday, Mickelson missed five putts in or darn close to that 10-foot radius around the cup, including three in a row from Nos. 15-17 that cost him the championship.



Of course, it's unreasonable to expect any player -- even the one with the short-game affinity Mickelson has -- to sink every pressure putt. A country-club legend has been built up that Tiger Woods has always made the clutch putts. Even at his best, that's generous rounding on his make percentage. To go 1-for-3 down the stretch, though, would not have been that much of a stretch for the 42-year-old.

The perfect percentage through the first two rounds was misleading anyhow. It was indicative of how poorly Mickelson managed to play from tee to green, needing those putts inside of 10 feet to bail him out from wild driving and lackluster ball-striking that often left him swinging from nasty, deep rough, bunkers or around trees at the majestic Charlotte club.

With his pedigree and, frankly, the pedigree of those that were chasing him most closely, this is a win that Mickelson let slip from his grasp.



Derek Ernst wound up winning the title on the first playoff hole from Lynn, who is only on the PGA Tour because he finished a distant eight shots behind Rory McIlroy to finish alone in second at last summer's PGA Championship. The check afforded Lynn PGA Tour membership for 2013, which he had to be talked into taking by friends after he initially denied interest in playing stateside full-time.



For his part, Ernst only got into the tournament because nine players withdrew for myriad cover reasons to avoid the highly criticized greens at Quail Hollow. As the fourth alternate, he was given little chance, going off at 500-to-1 odds. After battling through all four stages of PGA Tour Q-school last fall to earn his card, Ernst had missed five of his last six cuts. His best finish of the year was a T-47 last week in New Orleans.



Good on Ernst for finding nothing to complain about by earning a start and taking full advantage. It's precisely what Mickelson should have done to lock up his first multi-win season in four years.



Instead, Mickelson could not put it all together in the final round, unable to overcome ball-striking that had him T-71 in fairways hit and T-67 in greens in regulation through three rounds. The nearly four strokes he had gained on the field with his putting proficiency was not enough to get him the W.

Then again, the putter has to be working for a player to win. Just ask Rory McIlroy. If ball-striking determined the title this week, the Ulsterman would have won going away with it. However, McIlroy was near the very bottom of the field in strokes gained putting. It's a fact rich in irony, considering McIlroy said ahead of the tournament, "I don't mind (the poor greens) because I'm not a guy that relies on my putting, per se."



But back to Lefty.



The disappointment may leave him hungry enough for a buffet at TPC Sawgrass for next week's The Players Championship. The 2007 champion, however, will have to have all facets of his game in fine form to figure out Pete Dye's masterpiece puzzle. If this week was any indication, that's not very likely.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel.

Derek Ernst Shocks Golf World, Wins Wells Fargo Championship

Derek Ernst Shocks Golf World, Wins Wells Fargo Championship











Ryan Ballengee May 6, 2013 2:01 PM


COMMENTARY | Derek Ernst's calendar just filled out for the rest of the year.



With a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff against David Lynn, Ernst won the Wells Fargo Championship for his maiden PGA Tour title.



To say this was completely unexpected is quite an understatement.



On Monday, the 22-year-old UNLV product w
as the fourth alternate at Quail Hollow, just as well assuming he would make the drive to Athens, Ga., to compete in the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic this week. Then, largely in response to the poorly conditioned greens at Quail Hollow, the withdrawals began. There were nine in total, with Ernst landing a spot when Fredrik Jacobson decided not to give it a go.





The expectations had to be somewhat low for Ernst, who had missed five of his last six cuts in his rookie season on the PGA Tour. His best finish of the year came a week ago in New Orleans, cashing a T-47 check at the Zurich Classic -- only his second payday of 2013.



However, Ernst found himself in a seven-way tie for first after opening 5-under-67 at Quail Hollow. Most could be forgiven for assuming the likes of Rory McIlroy, Nick Watney, Ryan Moore or Robert Garrigus would be more likely threats from that Thursday gaggle to win the title on Sunday.



Ernst didn't go away, though he didn't find the 60s for the remainder of the week. He played 3-under golf for the final 54 holes, including a 2-under-70 on Sunday, May 5 that was good enough to land him in a playoff with the runner-up from last summer's PGA Championship.



Phil Mickelson could have prevented this fairy tale story from reaching its surprising conclusion, but two bogeys in the final three holes cleared the stage for Ernst. McIlroy had his chances, but atrocious putting left him in the dust or, more appropriately, stuck in the mud. Nick Watney seemed poised to win yet again, but he was unable to hang on Sunday in rainy conditions.



In the playoff, Ernst handled the pressure like a veteran twice his age. He made a rather routine-looking par on one of the most difficult holes on the PGA Tour, snagging the win when Lynn could not match him. In fact, the win was reminiscent of what Joey Sindelar, then 46 years old, did in 2004 when he won the second edition of this championship in a two-hole playoff over Arron Oberholser.



The contrast? Sindelar's win was his first in 370 PGA Tour starts. Ernst won in just his eighth start.



The week prior, another 20-something claimed his maiden PGA Tour win -- that the golf world saw coming for months. Billy Horschel, 26, had been knocking hard on the door throughout this season. The Florida product owns the tour's longest active cuts-made streak. He had finished on the medal stand in two of his last three starts before winning at TPC Louisiana. Ernst's win came amid nasty, rainy conditions in Charlotte -- not ideal for seeing something like this in the offing.



Now Ernst will get to experience all of the perks of being a rather sudden PGA Tour winner. He has a spot in The Players next week, as well as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions next year and, yes, an invitation to the 2014 Masters. He also has the peace of mind from knowing his spot on the PGA Tour is secure for two years.



There likely will not be a win quite like this one on the PGA Tour for way longer than two years.



Ernst battled his way through all four stages of PGA Tour Q-school to earn his playing privileges this season. That path has been blocked, however, by the rise of the Web.com Tour finals, moving all PGA Tour cards that were available through Q-school to a four-tournament series combining the best of the Web.com Tour and the not-so-best of the PGA Tour. The Derek Ernsts of the world would likely need a one-year pit stop on the Web.com Tour to get this opportunity.



Ernst, who entered the week at 1,207th in the Official World Golf Ranking, is expected to land in the top 125 -- likely a record leap. That's appropriate considering what he accomplished in Charlotte.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel.

Padraig Harrington's Anchoring Woes Don't Help Their Case

Padraig Harrington's Anchoring Woes Don't Help Their Case











Ryan Ballengee May 6, 2013 6:24 PM


COMMENTARY | Just because Padraig Harrington went belly-up in Charlotte doesn't mean that the a
nchored stroke should be saved.





The three-time major champion made the shocking switch to a belly putter for the Wells Fargo Championship. The results, albeit a small sample size, were disastrous. He opened with 8-over-80 on Thursday, May 2 at Quail Hollow to finish dead last among the 156 players in the field. A second-round 75 left him tied for dead last and sent packing for the weekend.



For at least this one week, the belly putter was of no help. But this flat-out, flat-stick failure also is of no help to the argument made by the likes of Webb Simpson, who continues to rail about the looming possibility of a full-fledged ban of the anchored stroke in 2016.



In fact, Harrington talked eloquently after his first-round nightmare about precisely why the anchored stroke should still be banned.



"I was like, 'Oh, I wonder what that looks like,' and I was surprised to see everything was better," Harrington said. "In terms of the mechanics, it was a far better stroke."



He continued, "I think it's bad for the game of golf. [But] I'm going to use everything, if something's going to help me for the next three and a half years, I'm going to use it."



The argument made by so many proponents of anchoring is that players who affix a belly or long putter to their bodies rarely crack the top 25, much less the top 10, in strokes gained putting, the PGA Tour's stat of record for putting efficiency. Reigning U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson made that argument last week.



"2 guys in the top 45 in strokes gained putting category (PGA Tour's most accurate putting stat) use a belly putter or long putter," Simpson tweeted April 27.



He continued with a not-so rhetorical question: "Is it really an advantage???????? NO."



As someone who believes the game's governing bodies are making the right decision in attempting to ban the anchored stroke, it's hard to decide which tweet to tackle first, but perhaps the latter is better.



If there was no advantage in using a belly or long putter coupled with an anchored stroke, why would anyone use it? The putters are long, unwieldy, a little more expensive because there's more material, and take time to learn. It seems like an awfully big inconvenience for gaining no advantage whatsoever.



However, it is Simpson's first line of logic that is perhaps most flawed.



Simpson is looking at the strokes gained putting stat in a way that helps his case, not the way that it should be viewed. The rubric determining the value of the anchored stroke should not be if players catapult into the top 25 in putting categories, but rather if they improve significantly as compared to a traditional stroke.



If a player gets better by switching to the anchored stroke, there is an advantage. Of course, that is not measured one round or one week at a time. It might take months for the peaks and valleys of putting level out the true advantage a player might see by committing to the anchored stroke. Therein, however, lies another problem.



Pro golf has no offseason these days. There is little time for a player to take a month or two to practice with the anchored stroke to gain enough proficiency with it to take it to a tournament with a lot of confidence. Players that struggle with putting and feel they must switch to anchoring do so because their year, their livelihood is in danger if something bold isn't done. But those players must also often compete 30 times in a season to cobble together enough earnings to keep a PGA Tour card. If anchoring doesn't prove to be an immediate fix, players are bound to abandon the evil they still don't understand for the one they might still be able to control, so they go back to the traditional stroke.



That could very well be the ending to the story of Harrington and the belly putter: It didn't work, and the Irishman might not put in enough time with it to see if it actually would pay dividends down the line.



Harrington does understand, though, that the anchored stroke must go because he sees the inherent advantage of it. In fact, a lot of PGA Tour players do. The problem with the proposed ban of the anchored stroke -- and the source of the Tour's disapproval of it -- is that it took the game's governing bodies 23-plus years to announce their reversal of course from when they blessed Orville Moody's use of the long putter to win the 1989 U.S. Senior Open.



The Harrington case should give some cover to the USGA and R&A. It probably should not have taken them two decades to decide the anchored stroke was a bad idea, but they only could have make their decision after enough players stuck with it long enough to find success -- namely the four guys (Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Ernie Els and Adam Scott) who have won the last six majors.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Follow him on Twitter @RyanBallengee.

PGA teams with Nature Conservancy, Lexmark, Monsanto, St. Louis County Parks

PGA teams with Nature Conservancy, Lexmark, Monsanto, St. Louis County Parks











PGA.COM May 20, 2013 3:18 PM

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(The PGA of America)


BALLWIN, Mo. -- Thirty volunteers from Greater St. Louis grabbed a shovel, wiped the sweat from their brows on a humid Missouri Sunday and gave something back that generations will value decades from now. Such was the teamwork to help restore native forests emanating from a partnership between The PGA of America, Lexmark International Inc., The Nature Conservancy Missouri, The Monsanto Company and St. Louis County Parks.

Together, the participants planted more than 200 native bottomland trees and shrubs to offset the impact of printing and paper products generated for the 74th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, May 21-26, at Bellerive Country Club. The environmental project is part of The PGA of America's commitment to benefit the host communities that support its Championships. The PGA and Lexmark partnered for a similar event prior to the 2012 Ryder Cup near Chicago, by planting 50 large trees. The teamwork will continue in August prior to the 95th PGA Championship in Rochester, N.Y.

"This project is especially important to us because the plantings are alongside a freshwater stream, which ultimately flows into the Meramec River," said Betsy LePoidevin, associate director of philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy Missouri. "It's benefiting the health of an entire community. It's not just about nature for nature's sake. It's about people getting fresh drinking water. It's about people getting educated about the environment that affects them. This simply is not just a tree planting, or The Nature Conservancy would not be a part of it. It goes far beyond that, to benefit an entire community."

The tree planting featured Gateway PGA Section President Joe Schwent of St. Charles, Mo., representing the 324 members of the Section. Schwent was joined by his wife, Laura, in the volunteer corps. "I was honored to be part of this event; nothing but good things going on all day," said Schwent. "This is one great example to how we all can give something back to the environment, the community."

The roots of the new trees in Queeny Park serve as a filtering system for ground water, and help prevent a clogging of the banks. "This tiny stream system will lead into the Meramec River and provide 250,000 individuals with drinking water in St. Louis County. It's a small part, but you have to start somewhere. It will magnify positive effects for so many."


Tom Ott of Spanish Lake, Mo., acting director of St. Louis County Parks, said the partnership helps enhance the ongoing campaign to benefit what he calls "one of our jewels of the country." Edgar M. Queeny Park opened in 1974 and is named after the famed industrial-conservationist Edgar Monsanto Queeny. It is a 570-acre site and one of 70 similar sites encompassing 12,700 acres that are managed by St. Louis County Parks.

"It is great to see this partnership develop and help those who want to make the most of this park and many more like this," said Ott. "The trees and shrubs planted today will help us eradicate bush honeysuckle, which grows like wildfire and doesn't give anything else below a chance to grow under a tree canopy."

The volunteers ranged in age from 9 to over 50, and were guided on proper planting methods by Angie Webber of Crestwood, Mo., community conservation planner for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "An event like this is so important today, considering the limited resources that state and governments are able to supply," said Webber. "It is so important for volunteer support."

Lexmark International, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., is the Official Printing Technology Provider of The PGA of America. Lexmark also is a founding member of The Nature Conservancy's Corporate Sustainability Council.

"We had a great day and some outstanding support from those in the St. Louis area," said Lee Ann Disponett, Lexmark's global sustainability analyst. "We are encouraged by the effort being demonstrated in all host communities, beginning near Chicago last fall during the Ryder Cup and here. The Boys and Girls Club of America helped form our team prior to the Ryder Cup, and it was fun to see some youngsters on the team today. It all sets a great example."

About The PGA of AmericaSince its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering world-class championships and innovative programs, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. As The PGA nears its centennial, the PGA brand represents the very best in golf.