In April, the major tours (PGA TOUR, LPGA, PGA European, LET and PGA of America) formed a video review working group to look at the effects of video review in golf and assessing Rules situations. These tours, along with any other tour that is televised, have agreed to no longer accept viewer call-ins regarding potential Rules violations someone may see while watching on TV. The calls are usually bad information as many people that “call in” have a misunderstanding of a Rule they think they saw being breached. Instead of taking any outside information, there will now be a designated official with a very knowledgeable Rules mind to watch the telecast on-site and check for any potential Rules violations and then report to the necessary official in charge as it happens (they get paid to watch golf!). Video can also be used in real time to help an official out on the course to determine where a ball needs to be dropped (think of the 2017 Open Championship when Jordan Spieth was trying to find out where to drop inside all of those parked buses).
Remember, the video replay official will still be bound by a new decision was put in place earlier this year after the “Lexi“ situation but before the “Jon Rahm“ situation (Decision 34-3/10) to limit what is shown on TV and what happened in real time. This decision essentially says that if HD slow-motion video shows something that could not have been reasonably seen with the naked eye, it is inadmissible in making a Ruling. It also says that if a player did their best to make a reasonable judgement to determine a spot when taking relief or the spot to replace their ball, they will not be penalized if HD video shows otherwise. The text of the decision, in part, says, “So long as the player does what can reasonably be expected under the circumstances to make an accurate determination, the player’s reasonable judgment will be accepted even if later shown to be wrong by the use of video evidence.”
The “facts of the case” for these televised events will now only be compiled from on-site player, caddie, referee, media, marshal and spectator testimony as well as the video compilation produced by the broadcaster that is seen by the video review official. However, if the video replay official misses something or other video produced by the broadcaster was not seen by the video replay official in real time (multiple cameras running on another part of the course), it is still applicable and reviewable information if any of the aforementioned on-site entities report anything. This limitation of who may report a Rules violation by the video review working group is to get away from the unhealthy perception that an outside viewer call in could alter the competition by reporting a violation. The competition will be administered fully by those on-site and on the Committee in Charge.
