Rules Knock Another Pro Out Of Contention

The rules of golf jumped up and bit another pro in the worst possible place again this weekend when Juli Inkster was disqualified from the LPGA Safeway Classic for using a weighted training aid during her round. The 50-year-old Hall of Famer had suffered through a thirty minute wait on the tenth hole at Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge and slipped a "donut" on her nine iron to loosen up before she hit her tee shot.

NO CAN DO! According to LPGA Director of Tournament Competitions Sue Witters, a TV viewer noticed the infraction and contacted tournament officials. The LPGA checked with the USGA to make sure, but they found no wiggle room so Inkster was told of the DQ when she walked off the course after finishing the round.

Inkster left in a hurry, but later issued a terse statement:

"I had a 30-minute wait and I needed to loosen up," she said. "It had no effect on my game whatsoever, but it is what it is. I'm very disappointed."

Ralph Wimbish of the NY Post provides a few more incidents when tournament outcomes--not to mention golfers' brainwaves--were altered by the rules:

Roberto De Vicenzo — At the 1968 Masters, the Argentinian star carded a birdie 3 on the 17th hole but wrote down a 4 on his scorecard. Because he had signed his scorecard, he did not get into a playoff with Bob Goalby and was left muttering, "What a stupid I am."

Ian Woosnam — At the 2001 British Open, Woosy was in contention until he discovered an extra driver, a 15th club, in his golf bag. Once he realized he had violated Rule 4-4a/6, he gave himself a two-shot penalty, yelled at his caddie and threw the extra driver into a tree.

Craig Stadler — At the 1987 Andy Williams (San Diego) Open, Stadler used a towel to kneel on as he hit a shot from underneth a tree. Several TV viewers phoned NBC to say the Walrus had violated Rule 13-3 for building a stance. Stadler had finished second, but his failure to take a two-shot penalty resulted in a DQ and cost him $37,333 in prize money.

Paul Azinger — At the 1991 Doral Ryder Open, he was on the 18th hole when took his stance in a water hazard and used his left foot to kick away several rocks. A TV viewer from Colarado called the PGA Tour and said Azinger had violated Rule 13-4, subsection 3. Azinger, who shot a 69, was DQ’d for failing to assess a two-shot penalty.

Lee Janzen — At the 1998 NEC World Series of Golf, Janzen hung a putt on the lip of the cup and watched for more than the allotted 10 seconds before it dropped into the cup, a violation of Rule 16-2. His failure to take a 4 instead of 3 resulted in a DQ.

Bobby Jones — At the first round of the 1925 U.S. Open, Jones said his ball moved slightly just before he hit a shot of the rough, a violation of Rule 18-1. He called a one-shot penalty on himself and eventually lost a 36-hole playoff to Willie Macfarlane.

Michelle Wie — She’s been DQ’d for taking an improper drop in her pro debut, penalized at the 2006 British Open for grounding her club in a bunker and DQ’d from the 2008 State Farm when she failed to sign her scorecard. She was in second place when she was DQ’d.

Ah those pesky rules of golf.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.