Perhaps, just perhaps the USGA is getting the hint.
Perhaps the USGA might have a clue that we are totally and irrevocably sick and tired of those rules geeks — Frick and Frack — or whatever you call Thomas Pagel and his sidekick, you know, the guys who put a stink on the U.S. Open that made us believe an army of skunks had been executed on the back nine at Oakmont.
The stench was awful and the USGA was drowning itself in rules technicalities and video of a wobbling golf ball and Pagel’s barnyard bunk about him and his chubby sidekick deciding along with some mysterious “committee” that Dustin Johnson was 51 percent guilty, 49 percent innocent and it would serve USGA justice that Mr. Johnson be served up a one-stroke penalty.
But to add to the enormous stink, the USGA’s answer to Laurel and Hardy, decided they would mentally torture Dustin on the 12th tee and give him the equivalent of “wait until your father gets home” type of punishment threat. Although it would take dad another half-dozen holes to get home.
Good luck D.J., you’d better win by at least two shots or there might be an ISIS-type of bloodletting on hand.
D.J. shook off the stench, pulled up his britches and simply blew the field away.
The USGA’s Laurel and Hardy were off the hook — momentarily.
As time elapsed, the USGA would receive a verbal flogging from everyone including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, to mention only a few. Barack Obama sat this one out.
So here we are, a couple of days later and you can only imagine the discussions behind closed doors.
Time to trot out the modern face of the USGA — Mike Davis. Too bad Davis didn’t put a choke hold on this thing immediately and do what an Executive Director is supposed to do.
Finally, Mike Davis has come to us all, humbling asking for “a mulligan.”
“We strongly believe we got the ruling right, we just didn’t apply it in the proper timing or sequence. And that’s where, as I say, I think we bogeyed and for that we truly regret and furthermore apologize for the way that was handled.”
Well Mike was right and wrong.
The ruling was wrong and the USGA didn’t make bogey, it made a quadruple bogey.
Mulligan?
How can anyone trust these guys going forward?
Not sure anyone will.
2 Comments
beege
Well said Tom, It sure was a weird almost 2 hours to have not only the competitors but millions watching around the world wondering whether a win by 1 would be a win or force an 18 hole playoff.
You ask, how could the U.S.G.A. screw this great championship up? It is real easy, we are in a day and age when golf viewers can call up and suggest that something might be amiss and that is enough for them to amplify their power. I think they are afraid of someone thinking that a golfer might cheat.. the mere threat of social media implying that sends the governing bodies into a frenzy.
No further comment at this time….you may cross examine the witness…
Please suspend Phil, Mr. Finchem, do the right thing not the politically correct thing for once, please.
Tom Edrington
No phone callers in golf for quite a while, none called on this situation. The PGA Tour does not take phone callers anymore. The USGA had their walking official to make necessary rulings. If they do not trust the head of their own Rules Committee, then do away with these walking officials. No one is taking their side. A basic coin flip made the decision for a penalty….51-49 is too close to 50-50……Dustin saved them, that for sure. You’ll have to drop the Phil stuff, because the tour has….you’re beating a dead horse on that one.