PGA Championship and DJ

[C47]

I agree with the fact that from a rules standpoint the only option is to assess a penalty. That is the way golf works. there is rarely subjectivity and all golfers know that.

However in golf or any other aspect of life, painting over obvious issues with rules may the the easiest but not the best way. It is obvious that bunkers are ambiguous at this course.

And while DJ maybe should have known and he bears responsibility, it is possible that bunkers could get so trampled that a golfer would not even think it was a bunker. Would not even consider consulting an official.

An analogy would be your town building an extremely dangerous road for no good reason but justifying wrecks by posting a sign that says drive at your own risk.

I'm just agreeing with the pros in the link above that the setup is dumb.

Cool course otherwise

Look it's as simple as this, the rules clearly stated that the bunkers would even be stood on all weekend. There's no if ands or buts about it. If the guy, or his caddy for that matter had taken the five minutes it would have taken to read the rules sheet it wouldn't even be an issue....people need to be held accountable for their mistakes, he made a million dollar one.....

[Happy Panther]

His only argument is that he never considered it a bunker meaning he could have had the rules memorized and may have made the same shot. That was his reaction afterward "what bunker?"

I'm fine with the penalty. I just don't like a dumb course setup coming into play. It's like making the tour de france riders race on wet cobblestone. Potential winners get knocked out because of a dumb tradition. the course determines the winner not the riders

[Happy Panther]

look it's as simple as this' date=' the rules clearly stated that the bunkers would even be stood on all weekend. There's no if ands or buts about it. If the guy, or his caddy for that matter had taken the five minutes it would have taken to read the rules sheet it wouldn't even be an issue....people need to be held accountable for their mistakes, he made a million dollar one.....[/quote']

period!

[Happy Panther]

The PGA will fix this next time and they should

[C47]

His only argument is that he never considered it a bunker meaning he could have had the rules memorized and may have made the same shot. That was his reaction afterward "what bunker?"

I'm fine with the penalty. I just don't like a dumb course setup coming into play. It's like making the tour de france riders race on wet cobblestone. Potential winners get knocked out because of a dumb tradition. the course determines the winner not the riders

Kind of like bad weather football games, or for that matter games at the Dolphins or Raiders during baseball season....

[Darth Biscuit]

Kind of like bad weather football games' date=' or for that matter games at the Dolphins or Raiders during baseball season....[/quote']

I think that may be taking it a little too far... I think that the PGA's ruling was correct based on their previous decision about the bunkers... however, having patrons stand/sit/walk in bunkers that could potentially be in play is not really like bad weather... a better football analogy would be putting holes on the field that the players may step in and fall down, or better yet, having fans stand all along the field where they can trip players as they are running.

[Happy Panther]

Kind of like bad weather football games' date=' or for that matter games at the Dolphins or Raiders during baseball season....[/quote']

The weather arugment makes no sense however the field issue is relevant.

Reminds me of the old AstroTurf fields that were a thin layer of carpet over concrete. Players were constantly being injured...career ending injuries.

It boils down to reasonable expectations. You can reasonably expect it to rain at a football event. I don't think it is reasonable to make players deal with bunkers that are outside the ropes and may not even resemble a bunker. Slapping up a rule as a cop-out doesn't really change anything about the appropriateness of the setup.

[C47]

I think that may be taking it a little too far... I think that the PGA's ruling was correct based on their previous decision about the bunkers... however, having patrons stand/sit/walk in bunkers that could potentially be in play is not really like bad weather... a better football analogy would be putting holes on the field that the players may step in and fall down, or better yet, having fans stand all along the field where they can trip players as they are running.

Watch the capital one bowl between Penn State and LSU last year, just saw it on ESPNU last night. I completely forgot how horrid the field conditions were, because there were 2-3 other games played on that wet surface the same week. At one point Trindon Holliday tried to make a cut on a punt return and fell face first into the turf because a divot the size of his ankle was created in the field. The playing surface is part of the game be it football, baseball, golf etc....

[Happy Panther]

The playing surface is part of the game be it football' date=' baseball, golf etc....[/quote']

Wet field conditions due to rain is not an appropriate analogy.

Building a field with holes in it to create drama and then posting a sign in the locker room that says "not responsible for injuries" would be more apt

[Darth Biscuit]

Yeah, what HP said... it's not the weather but the field condition... that's really what I was saying. Except in this case it's the fans that are potentially creating the unfair conditions.

[Happy Panther]

The mashed up bunkers are a gimmick

I don't think gimmicks belong in a major

[Darth Biscuit]

On a side note... as beautiful as that course was, it really isn't ideal for a major... there's no where for the spectators to really be able to enjoy the golf... yeah, it was great on TV, but when you've got the gallery standing in sand traps, it's pretty stupid.

The PGA is on Kiawah Island in 2012, it will be the exact same way, very few places for patrons to view the golf.

[Happy Panther]

Yeah also the 3rd links style course of the year in a major

[Darth Biscuit]

Considering the fact that all the other majors suck Augusta's balls, it's OK...