At this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational (formerly known as the Bay Hill Invitational), Boo Weekley got a “peek-a-Boo” from an unlikely source””the USGA Rules of Golf! On the second hole, Boo, being a friend to the world, assisted his fellow competitor (Tom Johnson) on the second hole by pulling the flagstick when Johnson’s ball appeared to be on a collision course with the flagstick after Johnson had chipped the ball from the green. (Yes, he chipped the ball from the green due to the unusual shape of the green””which, by the way, is not a rules violation.) Boo’s actions, magnanimous as they were, did however, violate a rule of golf. The Rule in question? Rule 17-2 which covers “unauthorized attendance” of a flagstick and carries a two-stroke penalty to the perpetrator in stroke play.
The incident sparked the usual spouting from a few members of the golf media and many Internet “bloggers” who saw the ruling as a gross miscarriage of justice and further evidence of how just how archaic golf’s rules are””once again proving just how quick some people are on the trigger””or in this case the “enter” key on their keyboard.
Let’s examine for a minute why this rule exists. The most important thing to remember is that the flagstick’s purpose on the golf course is very singular””to indicate the location of the hole””period. The flagstick is not intended to be used to influence the play of the hole””that is left to the players skill and the good, bad and indifferent bounces that occur from tee to green. The purpose of this rule is to prohibit players from using the flagstick as an aid. The detailed language of rule 17 is written to protect this principle. As with any law, there are always a few idiosyncrasies that come into play. If 17-2 did not exist, a loop hole would emerge that would allow players to conspire to conveniently “use” the flagstick to their advantage.
In Weekley’s case, his attempt to help his fellow competitor (by manipulating the flagstick while a ball was in motion) cost him about $50,000 in earnings. Boo hoo hoo”¦
