USGA Changes Direction on Viewer Call-Ins

One of the most hotly debated issues in all golf for the past few weeks has been the rule that allows for viewers to call in and report possible rules violations on the course.  After much backlash and media attention, the USGA has now issued a change that targets this longstanding rule.

The issue that sparked this concern happened on the LPGA TOUR when Lexi Thompson was assessed a four-stroke penalty during her final round because a viewer called in to report a rules violation in the previous round.  This ended up costing Thompson her first place spot during the final round of the ANA Inspiration, which would have been her first major victory.

Watching this unfold resulted in many players on both the PGA and LPGA TOUR to come out and speak against the rule.  The USGA must have heard the grievances of players and wanted to avoid any other controversies this season.  To ensure that there is no more backlash coming at the organization, the USGA changed the rule in two parts.

While the changes do not eliminate call-ins, against the wishes of many players, it does do much to limit the power of the viewers who are calling in.  The first part of the rule change states that the committee that reviews call-ins will determine if a rule was violated based upon if it could have been picked up with the naked eye.  So even if the violation was obvious through enhanced video, if the naked eye would not have recognized it, the penalty will not be held up.

The second part of the rule change targets another major problem that has been a sticking point with players, which is the idea that those who get more TV time are held to a higher standard.  One example provided to for this situation would be, “a player who unknowingly touches a few grains of sand in taking a backswing with a club in a bunker when making a stroke.” In that situation, the player would not be penalized just because he was caught on TV.

While call-ins will continue to be used in golf events, this seems like a good start to helping phase them out while also making sure rules violations are not overlooked.

Cover Photo via Flickr