Professional Golf Finally Ends the Unpopular Viewer Call-In Rule

One of the most unpopular rules in golf previously allowed fans watching a tournament on TV to call in or email the USGA to report a possible rules violation that was missed on the course during live play. So for example, if you see that a golfer grounded his club in a sand trap but no rules official caught it at the event, you could call in, report the infraction, and then the USGA would review the play and possibly assess a penalty.

This rule was extremely hated by players in all of the major golf tournaments as they felt that it was unfair given that not all players receive equal broadcast coverage, therefore making the more visible players far more apt to be slapped with a rules violation.

Because of the unpopularity around the PGA and LPGA tours, the USGA relaxed the rule to only be enforced on plays that could be discovered only through deep video investigation.

Now, they’re taking it one giant step further announcing that the call-in rule has been officially removed for the 2018 season.

Lexi Thompson of the United States walks on the 18th green during the…

Lexi Thompson of the United States walks on the 18th green during the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship at the Tiburon Golf Club on November 19, 2017 in Naples, Florida. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

In a statement released on Monday, the USGA explained their decision to eliminate the rule. The statement read, “Effective Jan. 1, the U.S. Golf Association, R&A and the game’s major professional tours no longer will accept calls and emails from fans who think they have spotted rules violations. The governing bodies – in conjunction with the PGA Tour, LPGA, PGA European Tour, Ladies European Tour and PGA of America – agreed to assign at least one rules official to monitor all tournament telecasts and resolve any rules issues.”

While it had always been hated universally, the rule garnered more attention this year because of what happened to Lexi Thompson. A fan had noticed that Thompson placed her ball incorrectly after marking it during a round and called in to report it. Upon review, officials agreed with the caller and Thompson was assessed a four stroke penalty. At the time, she was leading on her way to her first major championship. The penalty cost her that victory.

So while many fans will be upset that they can’t have some sort of outcome on live golf events, this seems like a much better solution for the players. After all, it should be rules officials, not fans, determining when a player has violated the rules of golf.

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