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Déjà Vu: USGA Fumbles Rules Violation At U.S. Women's Open, Leading To Confusion

The talk following the U.S. Women's Open is more about the way Brittany Lang won "rather than her actual achievement," as the USGA is again the subject of "another clumsy rules situation," according to Beth Ann Nichols of GOLFWEEK. The organization delayed telling Lang and Anna Nordqvist of a rules violation Nordqvist made during a three-hole playoff, a move that "hijacked the competition's storyline." Nordqvist "grazed the sand" when hitting out of a fairway bunker on the second playoff hole, but it "wasn't until after Nordqvist hit her third shot" into the final hole that an official "came out to inform" her of the two-stroke penalty. Lang, who "had yet to hit her approach into the green, was then told of the rules infraction." Knowing she "had a two-stroke advantage, Lang changed her strategy and pulled a longer club." Nichols noted fans watching on TV "knew of Nordqvist's error in the sand long before she did." Fans, as well as Fox' Paul Azinger, were "trying to will a USGA rules official to stop play before Nordqvist hit that third shot." USGA Senior Managing Dir of Competitions, Championships & Governance John Bodenhamer said that the organization "first learned of the rules issue when someone from Fox called to ask if there had been an issue in the 17th bunker" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/10). The AP's Josh Dubow noted after seeing a replay of Nordqvist's bunker shot, Fox "asked the USGA if there was a violation." That led Bodenhamer to "go to the television truck to see a replay, which showed the violation that was not evident on the live broadcast or to the official watching the hole in person." Nordqvist said, "Seemed kind of unreal that it happened, but it does. It wasn't any reason to question it. But I'm certainly disappointed of the timing of it" (AP, 7/10).

TIMING IS EVERYTHING: SI's Alan Shipnuck wrote, "Given all of these moving parts I think they handled it in a pretty timely manner." Following the men's U.S. Open, people were "screaming that the USGA had to inform players ASAP." Shipnuck: "Now the Twittersphere is upset because that meant telling Lang before she hit her third shot but after Nordqvist had played hers. You can’t have it both ways." Golf magazine's Joe Passov wrote the USGA "got the rule right, and while the timing of the reporting was unfortunate ... at least they seemed to deal with it in the most expedient fashion they could." But SI's Mark Godich wrote, "In this technological age, why does it take so long to notify the player of the penalty?" (GOLF.com, 7/10). Fox' Brad Faxon said, "They moved as quickly as they could. … They did the right thing. They hurried as much as they can." Azinger said, “I wish that the USGA could have just gotten the timing a little bit better there on the last hole ... but, unfortunately, that did not happen” (“U.S. Women’s Open Wrap Up,” FS1, 7/10). Golf Channel’s Chris DiMarco said, “The problem I have is the timing of everything. They had plenty of time to notify both players. Both players should have either been told before their third shots or after their third shots” ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 7/11).

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING: GOLF DIGEST's Ron Sirak wrote sure to "be second-guessed will be the fact TV was used to detect the violation and that Nordqvist was informed of the penalty" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 7/10). Golf Channel's Charlie Rymer said, "I have a problem with the way that video is used in our game, because everyone is not subject to the same scrutiny. There’s not enough cameras to cover every shot that everyone hits" ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 7/11).

THE NAME GAME: GOLF CHANNEL's Randall Mell noted USGA President Diana Murphy in the trophy presentation "introduced Brittany as Bethany" then "kept referring to her as Bethany." It was "cringeworthy to viewers who remembered Murphy's strangely tongue-tied delivery at the U.S. Open trophy presentation" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 7/10).

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