Are you kidding me? Masters official gives Chinese 14 year old one stroke penalty for taking too much time

Golf is an odd sport. There is an almost irrational insistence on following all of the rules in the rule book.

Golfers get major props for penalizing themselves for technical, obscure rule infractions that nobody saw and that didn't even create any advantage.

Unlike other sports -- in which players happily get away with anything the refs can't see -- golfers are totally self-policed. Yet the stigma of cheating in golf is so severe that cases are incredibly rare.

Golf is boring, but when it comes to rules, I wish running were more like it. Given the problems with our sport, I don't think we should criticize golfers for their insistence on hyper compliance.

golf is not a sport.

That is really ridiculous. I don't know how guys like Paramor keep their jobs - you'd think they'd have conduct standards for guys at the top level.

What I think is absurd is the way they penalized Lance Armstrong - what the hell, they're only rules, right?

Who cares how Guan's slow play affects the games of his playing partner or those players behind him - serves them right for not being 14-year-old Chinese media hooks, doesn't it?

Judge not lest ye be judged. Why do you employ 14 yo's like FP to ruin your site for you?

crazy raisin wrote:

you'd think they'd have conduct standards for guys at the top level.

They do. They are called, "the rules."

It was the first one stoke penalty issued for slow play in history of the Masters - and it was given to a 14 year old Chinese player, who patently wasn’t the slowest player in the field.

Ironically the one who would have taken his place had he not made the cut was Australian Jason Day, arguably the slowest player on the tour.

It was unfortunate, but golf is a game of rules. The kid isn't cut breaks because he's a kid - he needs to follow all the rules that the other players must follow. He still made the cut. Would be a bigger story if that one stroke penalty had pushed him outside of the weekend field.

You're wrong on so many counts. First, The Masters gave an exemption to the winner of this obscure Asian Amateur championship that hardly churns out world class golfers. So your assumption of racism is nonsense.

Secondly, his group was out of position and was put on the clock. He and the other members of his group were timed and he was repeatedly warned. Ben Crenshaw and the other player, Mannassero, did not say anything too negative because who wants to accuse a 14 year old of slow play.

From blogs I've read, the kid was incredibly slow and deserved the penalty. His group was out of position the entire back nine.

As someone who played competitive golf, the pace of play has gotten slower and slower. Pros know the rules and how to react when they are put on the clock. This kid did not.

As Woods said after the round, "was he warned"? The answer was yes. Woods basically nodded that the penalty was justified and that the round took almost 6 hours.

Your last point is also ridiculous. Every rules official gets some pro bent out of shape for slow play or some rules infraction. The rules official you are singling out has been doing it for many years. If he was a bad as you insinuate, he would have been fired by the tour some time ago. Go to any major amateur event and watch how slow the play is. This is the major reason more people are quitting golf than taking it up.

oatmeal + water wrote:

golf is not a sport.

+1

It's like darts but with longer distances and a smaller target involved.

The Masters gave an exemption to the winner of this obscure Asian Amateur championship that hardly churns out world class golfers.

Hardly obscure - the Asia-Pacific is organized in conjunction with The Masters and The R&A. The winner gets an invitation to The Masters and is eligible for a ranking (something only available to 3 other amateur tournaments). Perhaps the reason it hasn't produced any world-class golfers is that it has only been running since 2009?

GenericID wrote:

The Masters gave an exemption to the winner of this obscure Asian Amateur championship that hardly churns out world class golfers.

Hardly obscure - the Asia-Pacific is organized in conjunction with The Masters and The R&A. The winner gets an invitation to The Masters and is eligible for a ranking (something only available to 3 other amateur tournaments). Perhaps the reason it hasn't produced any world-class golfers is that it has only been running since 2009?

Yes, obscure. It's a commercial decision to drum up Asian interest, particulary Chinese interest, in American golf. The field for the event is incredibly weak compared to the U.S. Amateur or U.S. Publinks or the British Amateur.

Yes, obscure. It's a commercial decision to drum up Asian interest, particulary Chinese interest, in American golf. The field for the event is incredibly weak compared to the U.S. Amateur or U.S. Publinks or the British Amateur.

None of your reasons demonstrate in any way that the tournament is "obscure" - perhaps a little more time spent with your dictionary might be in order?

Here's a head start for you: ob·scure /əbˈskyo͝or/

Adjective

Not discovered or known about; uncertain.

Verb

Keep from being seen; conceal.

Synonyms

adjective. dim - dark - indistinct - vague - murky - abstruse

verb. darken - dim - hide - conceal - cloud - overshadow

Hey, rojo, Tiger got hit with a TWO stoke penalty. Are you gonna start a thread about that?

Let's go for a round of speed golf. Under an hour for 18 holes is no exception, and at times it goes in well under par.

bladerunner wrote:

Secondly, his group was out of position and was put on the clock. He and the other members of his group were timed and he was repeatedly warned. Ben Crenshaw and the other player, Mannassero, did not say anything too negative because who wants to accuse a 14 year old of slow play.

.

This.

Once you have been put on the clock, each player knows they have to play faster. If it looks like YOU are the one in your group that it holding things up you will be singled out for the penalty. Kid will learn. Winds up being a non-issue here

"Miss it quick."

Slow play is actually a HUGE problem on tour. The average time for rounds is over 6 hours, with rounds of 7+ not unheard of.

The kid was warned, once or twice, and then eventually penalized. He did know the score, and that he had 40s to play. Admittedly, it's very, very difficult to alter your normal routine and playstyle, especially when it's a situation you have never been in.

While it is unfortunate it happen to Guan, it IS time officials started dealing with the slow play on tour. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction for that.

LM wrote:

Slow play is actually a HUGE problem on tour. The average time for rounds is over 6 hours, with rounds of 7+ not unheard of.

The kid was warned, once or twice, and then eventually penalized. He did know the score, and that he had 40s to play. Admittedly, it's very, very difficult to alter your normal routine and playstyle, especially when it's a situation you have never been in.

While it is unfortunate it happen to Guan, it IS time officials started dealing with the slow play on tour. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction for that.

Keegan Bradley should be penalised about 8 shots a round. But he's not.

So what's the difference between him and a Chinese 14 year old? Oh, and why would Augusta differentiate between the two?

How is it a step in the right direction. Americans (and Jason Day) offend tournament after tournament, but then a Chinese kid comes along and it's a step in the right direction to hammer him in his first event?

Oh, and your a moran.

LM wrote:

The average time for rounds is over 6 hours, with rounds of 7+ not unheard of.

False.