“Is this a joke?”
Lexi Thompson incurs preposterously stupid 4-stroke penalty at the ANA Inspiration
The rules of golf often make no damn sense and this is one of the most egregious and extreme rulings we’ve seen and it comes at the first major championship of the year.
Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images
The rules of golf are in the process of getting a major makeover, but they’ve not been officially overhauled yet and Lexi Thompson just got completely screwed at the ANA Inspiration, the first major championship of the year.
Thompson was racing out ahead in Palm Springs when LPGA rules officials approached her walking off the 12th green in the final round on Sunday night.
They then proceeded to tell her she incorrectly marked her ball on the 17th green on SATURDAY. That’s a two-stroke penalty. She then proceeded to sign an incorrect scorecard, obviously unaware she put her ball down in juuuust slightly a different spot on the penultimate green. So signing an incorrect scorecard is another two-stroke penalty.
Thompson went from two strokes ahead to two strokes behind with six holes to play. A stunning turn resulting from a stupid ruling about an incident that happened the day prior.
It’s one of the most absurd rulings we’ve ever seen and the fact that it came some 20 hours later after a viewer emailed in from home makes it all the more preposterous. Lexi teared up, but continued to play on while Twitter, as you might expect, erupted about the unfair situation.
The ruling even got the Big Cat up off the mat to fire off a tweet.
Update:
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols tweeted that the email came in while the final group, which Lexi is in, was on the 9th hole on Sunday.
And the LPGA issued a statement
Update No. 2: Thompson fought back and pulled even on the 18th green, narrowly missing an eagle putt to win it all and settling for a tap-in birdie to get in a playoff. On the first playoff hole, however, she lost to So Yeon Ru.
Lexi was obviously emotional after the loss. The entire situation sucks all around.
