For the second time in the past seven years the PGA Harbour Town event was decided in a playoff where a ruling had a prominent impact on the outcome of the championship. In both cases the ruling came down to loose impediments but the two situations could not have been more polarizing.
In 2004 Stewart Cink and Ted Purdy completed 72 holes tied for the lead. In the playoff Stewart Cink hit his ball into a “waste area” on the 16th hole. Cink asked PGA tour official, Slugger White, for a ruling and was advised that since his ball did not lie in a hazard, the crushed coral behind his ball could be (carefully) moved since it was, by definition, a loose impediment. Crushed coral is not “sand or loose soil” and since Cink’s ball did not lie in a hazard (a waste area is treated as “Through the Green”) he was entitled to move these impediments. This ruling allowed Cink to remove enough debris from behind his ball to make clean contact with his approach shot to the green which he hit to within birdie range for the win.
This past week Brian Davis and Jim Furyk were the two who completed play tied for the lead. The players returned to the 18th hole for the sudden death playoff and Davis hit his approach shot to the green into a greenside water hazard. Once again it was PGA tour official Slugger White on the scene. Davis (carefully) examined his golf ball which had come to rest in a relatively clean lie but was surrounded by some debris including some loose reeds that had washed to shore. Davis ultimately took his chances and played the ball out of the hazard and succeeded in getting the ball out and on the green. Immediately after hitting the shot Davis called Slugger White over and informed him that he thought he might have lightly brushed one of the loose reeds on his backswing. The video replay confirmed his suspicions and Davis was penalized two strokes under Rule 13-4c.
In both of these cases the tournament was dramatically influenced by a ruling involving loose impediments. In the first case Cink was allowed to move impediments that gained him a significant advantage and received no penalty. In the second Davis brushed a loose impediment, gained no advantage and was penalized two strokes. Cink went on to win, Davis found himself congratulating Jim Furyk on another PGA tour win. Doesn’t seem quite fair does it? Just like life, the game of golf is not fair, and while the rules of golf strive to be consistent they cannot guarantee “fairness.” The difference here is that Davis’ ball lied in a hazard and Cink’s ball did not. Loose impediments are treated differently under the rules depending upon where the ball lies””may not seem fair but the rule is consistent.
While Davis came up short this time, his sportsmanship and integrity reminded us all why the game of golf is different from all other sports. Davis called the penalty on himself on the most important shot of the tournament. Can you imagine an NBA player doing the same on a game winning shot?
