WHAT A STUPID RULE! — NOT!

by Doug McAllister

Did you see the golf tournament over the weekend? The Verizon Heritage was played at Harbor Town Golf Links. Great venue, always, with classic designing and the picture postcard ending with the red and white lighthouse backing the 18th green. A truly superb event.

But, unless you saw the thing through to the very end, chances are you missed one of the great moments in this event — or any golf event, for that matter.

Brian Davis, a little known British golfer was in position to win his very first ever PGA event. Through solid play he was able to force a playoff with Jim Furyk. The playoff proceeded on the 18th tee with both players hitting journeyman shots as they approached the green. Davis, upon hitting his approach shot, missed left and ended up in a patch of grass and flotsam and jetsam and a difficult chip to the green. The stage was now set for the day's drama.

For whatever reason, Davis opted against a drop that would have cost him a stroke but would have given him an easy chip to the hole. Instead, he chose to play the ball as it lay and attempt a shot that would save him a stroke and possibly seal the win. Furyk's shots were fairly routine: an approach that rolled through the green and a long putt back that left him about a four footer for par.

Davis stepped up and, firmly setting his feet as one would in a bunker, seemed to hit a fair shot that skidded past the hole to the opposite side of the green and left him with a putt nearly as long as Furyk's first. He would apparently have two shots from there for his par and a continuation of the playoff.

But, stop the presses! Almost immediately following his "out," Davis called for Slugger White, the PGA official on hand to answer any and all rules questions. Impressively, Davis noted to White that, while making shot, he might have hit one of the many twigs that lay in a heap near where his ball had come to rest. He wasn't sure and suggested that a look a the shot in slow motion on the television might sort things out.

Indeed it did. As things turned, his back swing just clipped a twig. The next step was to determine whether the twig was, indeed, a loose impediment. Unfortunately, it was. The result: a penalty was assessed and, as Nick Faldo immediately, almost impulsively noted, the tournament was essentially over. Never mind that Davis went ahead and hit one putt — and missed. Never mind that Furyk, after receiving congratulations from a stunned Davis, still had to hit his putt — which he made. The tournament ended with a slight clip of a twig in a hazard and a penalty called by and assessed upon Brian Davis.

Truly one of the things that I love about golf. Players willing to call penalties upon themselves.

Never mind that, had he chosen to tell himself that he had imagined the "touch" and not say anything, Davis' penalty very likely would have been caught and reported by one of the plethora of tournament television vulturistic viewers who seem to tune in these days hoping to catch and report such infractions. In that case, Davis very likely would have been disqualified after signing and submitting an erroneous score card — meaning not only the loss of the tournament in total, but also the loss of his second place purse!

Might be tempted to say that Davis' actions were more prompted by that. Rather, I give him the benefit of the doubt, was impressed with what I saw and became, instantaneously, a Brian Davis fan for life!

So, until next time, be sure to hit 'em long and straight and, if necessary, call a penalty on yourself!