Point Counterpoint
Should television viewers be allowed to call in rules violations?
YES
For all you corner-cutters, line-jumpers and red light-runners
reading this column: Keep your mud-stained ethics off my golf game. Deal? This is in defense of
those who call in rules violations to PGA Tour offi cials. The morally dubi- ous among you would label these people pejorative terms: “narc,”“tattle tale,” “hall monitor.” Here’s another, more
accurate label for these guardians of the game: “Safeguarder of moral behavior.” Or, if you want to crank it up a notch: “Defender of truth, justice and the American way.” Frankly, I’m shocked
anybody out there would deny another the right to see a rules violation on TV, and prosecute accordingly. After all, if golf can’t call itself the most honorable game in sport, we are left with nothing but a collection of cheaters in expensive slacks. Need I refer you to our
patron saint, Bobby Jones, who famously defl ected praise after calling a rules violation on himself by saying: “You’d just as soon congratulate a man for not robbing a bank.” For decades, we cher-
24 /
NCGA.ORG / SPRING 2011
ished Jones as our idol in golf. Now, you want to build statues to Bernie Madoff? I don’t want to live in a golf world where Jones’ lofty words are replaced by the bumper sticker: “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.” The topic is germane
because twice in the 2011 golf season, eagle-eyed viewers busted prominent pros. At Kapalua, Camilo Villegas fl icked away an impediment as his ball rolled backward—and failed to call a penalty on himself. In Abu Dhabi, Padraig Harrington slightly moved his ball with his hand as he removed his ball marker on a putting green—and failed to call a penalty on himself. Both times, morally
upright viewers noticed the penalties. Both times, they alerted the authorities. Both times, proper punishment was meted out— disqualifi - cation for signing an incor- rect scorecard. And both times, crowds of whiners cried foul at these simple applications of the Rules of Golf. Ian Poulter, in particular, called them “snitches.” Now, I happen to like Poulter’s sense of style, fl air and charisma. I don’t happen
to like his fi nger-pointing attempt to turn golf into baseball, where corked bats and spitballs can take you to the Hall of Fame. Who’s Poulter’s swing
instructor, Gaylord Perry? A great and noted
observer of human behavior once said: “People—we’re trying to have a society here.” Never mind that the man who said the quote was “Seinfeld” loser George Costanza, and never mind that he once admitted he was giving up on life and wearing sweatpants all day—instead focus on his message. Imagine if Villegas won
the event at Kapalua, or Harrington triumphed at Abu Dhabi. Both men ap- pear to be stand-up types, the kind of person who helps old ladies across the street when necessary. But would each player have hoisted the trophy knowing in his soul that he commit- ted a rules violation —and never said a word? Now we’ve entered a game of shadows, golf fan; a world where players look left, look right and if the coast is clear, foot-wedge an errant drive into a better lie. And hey, if the TV
cameras didn’t catch it— no biggie!
I refuse to capitulate
to such watered-down standards. The Rules of Golf are the very Constitu- tion of our great game, and in my last perusal of the sacred document, I didn’t see any asterisks, or passages that ended with: “This rule is merely a suggestion; feel free to apply your own as the situation dictates.” After all, Thomas Jeffer-
son didn’t write the words: “We the People, in order to form a somewhat more perfect Union, pending ev- erybody’s mood and relative moral compass.. . ” So if a TV viewer sees a
rules violation and phones the authorities, or e-mails the authorities, or Face- books the authorities, or tweets the authorities, or lets loose a carrier pigeon to the authorities, do not hold that person in scorn. Rather, see that person as the very descendant of the great upholders of law in human civilization; of Ar- istotle who once said, “Law should govern,” or the great Chinese philosopher Han Fei, who wrote, “the most enlightened measure of gov- erning is to trust measures, not men.” Nowhere in the Magna
Carta, friends, does it say, “That’s good by me,” or “Go ahead, hit a breakfast ball.” Soldier on, hall moni- tors of the world. History will shine favorably on your actions. Brian Murphy hosts the KNBR morning show “Murph and Mack” and was the San Francisco Chroni- cle’s golf writer from 2001- 2004.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76