The Memorial is biggest golf tournament in the gap between The Players and the U.S. Open, and we almost had a repeat of the hi-def rules drama that dominated the early part of Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.
Did Bubba Watson dodge a penalty on the 18th hole at the Memorial?
Bubba’s 54-hole Memorial lead almost disappeared after he touched his golf ball before making his stroke on the 18th green.
On his final hole of the day, 54-hole leader Bubba Watson gave a shot back to fall to 12-under but it could have been worse. Watson’s ball was up against the collar of the fringe and the rough, so he took a 3-wood to get through the thick stuff and bump the ball onto the green. It’s not an uncommon play, but Bubba got a little too close for comfort before making his stroke. The two-time Masters champ clearly touched his ball as he set up at address, but was it just an oscillation or did it move? The third round was over but everyone watching was now tweeting that we might have another big rules problem.
This was the issue that caused a bit of chaos at The Players, where officials reviewed the movemnt of Justin Rose’s ball at the 18th at Sawgrass. The legnthy review required trips to multiple TV trucks and a phone call from abroad from a European official. Finally, Rose was dinged two shots for his ball moving as he set up in what he called a “spongy” area. But on Sunday morning, after more discussion among rules officials, the PGA Tour decided to rescind the two-shot penalty and the reigning U.S. Open champ was saved by the new “Tiger Woods rule.” The decision was the first of its kind, and prompted heated and nerdy debate among golf rules aficionados on whether it was properly applied.
There was no such drama this week with Bubba, however, as the PGA Tour’s Slugger White said they made an instantaneous decision that the ball didn’t move (via AP):
“We looked at it in real time,” said Tour rules official Slugger White. “It looked like he may have touched it. And the ball didn’t move. That’s all. It was easy...I wouldn’t even call it moving. I don’t think it even moved out of where it was.”
So I guess that’s that...everyone stand down. Bubba will be out at 1:45 p.m. ET with a one-shot lead over playing partner Scott Langley.
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