The "era of interventions from armchair rules officials is drawing to a close" after new protocols were announced on Sunday preventing tournament organizers from penalizing players for rules violations noticed by TV viewers, according to John Westerby of the LONDON TIMES. From next month, at least one official at every event will be assigned to monitor broadcast coverage "for any potential violations" and advice from TV viewers "will not be considered." The new protocols, agreed by a working group led by the R&A and the USGA, are "designed to prevent a repeat of an incident that affected Lexi Thompson in April during the ANA Inspiration in California." Thompson was "reduced to tears after missing out on a probable victory following a four-shot penalty imposed due to a tip-off" from a TV viewer, who complained about her "marking her ball incorrectly" during the third round. Penalties levied on the advice of TV viewers have been an "increasingly controversial part of the game in recent years." At the Masters in '13, Tiger Woods was penalized two shots after "unwittingly dropping his ball in the wrong place, an error only noticed once a television viewer had phoned tournament officials." Rules officials will be watching closely on a broadcast feed at the course "to identify and resolve rules issues as they arise." The only video evidence to be used by rules officials will be from the tournament's broadcast partner (LONDON TIMES, 12/11). The BBC's Iain Carter wrote it is a "welcome move because golf was out of step with pretty much every other sport where spectators at home are powerless to influence events, even when they spot a blatant rules breach." The Thompson incident "highlighted a situation where a tournament was being played under a false scoreboard until her mistake had been highlighted -- and that was a day late." Thompson said, "In my case, I am thankful that no one else will have to deal with an outcome such as mine in the future" (BBC, 12/11).
