Cink Disqualified from Zurich Classic

by turnover on Mar 30, 2008 2:18 PM EDT

According to the Golf Pregame show on TGC, Stewart Cink has been disqualified from the final round of the Zurich Classic after a series of events that can best be considered ... well ... bizarre.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=GOL&id=126&line=4634&spln=1

It seems that Cink and Zach Johnson were discussing over breakfast this morning some of the more arcane rules of golf. Johnson brought up an odd one, indeed, and Cink thought..."Hmm...I wonder if I've ever done that? Wait...I think I did that yesterday!".

Yesterday on 15, Cink's tee shot came to rest adjacent to a fairway bunker, necessitating that Cink stand in the bunker to play his second shot, which came to rest in a greenside bunker. He then proceeded to rake the fairway bunker in which he had been standing.

This is, according to the rules, a no-no: "Testing the surface of a hazard", it results in a two stroke penalty.

Unfortunately, no one caught the violation at the time, and as such Cink finished his round and signed his card w/o a penalty. So, when he called a rule official this morning to self-report the apparent rules violation, he was disqualified for having signed an incorrect scorecard.

Now, can someone remind me why we like this crazy-ass game so much?

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Further on Cink's DQ

Cink's ball was not in the hazard (bunker) but Cink had to take his stance in the bunker. After making his shot, which unfortunately went into yet another bunker, Cink raked out his tracks. In doing so he offended Rule 13.4(1) "Before making a stroke from a hazard, you must not: (1) test the condition of the hazard or any similar hazard". Cink's raking out his footprints and stroke mark constituted testing the condition in a similar hazard - interesting is the note at the end of Rule 13, marked 13.5 Penalty "If you violate Rule 13, you lose the hole in match play or receive a two-stroke penalty in stroke play." It appears that Cink's DQ vs a two-stroke penalty is overkill. He is denied playing the rest of the fourth round and is denied any possible winnings.

Never up, never in.

by rcrusoe on Mar 30, 2008 2:08 PM EDT reply actions

moral of the story

Make the caddie do the raking. (And know the rules.)

by Mulligan Stu on Mar 30, 2008 2:25 PM EDT reply actions

I reckon so.

Few sports' rules are as potentially punitive as golf's - that much is certain.

Credit to Cink for calling himself out on this; had he not, I would imagine that no one would ever have known.

(By the way: thanks for the front page bump, Stu. Most appreciated.)

by turnover on Mar 30, 2008 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions

what about US ?

Most of us never play with a caddy - but almost all of us have played bunker to bunker (sometimes to bunker....). If we rake the first bunker ourselves, we are in violation of this rule.

I'm guessing this rule will be brought up at the next USGA/R&A rules meetings - and Tours will definitely send out the message right away.

Some rules just aren't very practical - and who decided that one bunker on a hole is exactly the same as the next...even on the hyper-groomed PGA Tour courses ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Mar 31, 2008 9:41 AM EDT reply actions

Final word on the subject

Ed,

During the third round at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Stewart Cink
hit his ball into a difficult lie near a fairway bunker on hole 15.
Although his ball was not in the bunker, Stewart walked into the bunker to
survey his shot, subsequently taking his stance outside the bunker to play.
When he played, his ball ended up in another bunker farther up the hole
about 180 yards. Stewart's caddy then raked the footprints where Stewart
had surveyed his shot. Under the current interpretation of the Rules of
Golf as provided by the USGA, because Stewart's ball lay in a bunker (and
had not been in one on the previous shot already), by his caddie raking his
footprints in the fairway bunker he was deemed to be "testing the condition
of a similar hazard" and was subject to a 2-stroke penalty under Rule
13-4a. Stewart discovered this during round four and reported it to the
PGA TOUR Rules Committee. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances above,
Stewart was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard because he
failed to add 2-strokes to that hole during round 3.

Sincerely,
DotComFeedback Staff

(Posted on 2 April 7:31 om Eastern)

Never up, never in.

by rcrusoe on Apr 2, 2008 7:32 PM EDT reply actions

that's explanation #3

Not sure I follow - if the caddy rakes the bunker, the player is not testing the conditions, and that is what this rule is concerned with.

How can a player be punished for experimenting with stances to make a swing. We've seen this MANY times in the past where a player is forced to try several different stances - in and out of a hazard - to find one from which he can play the shot. After playing the shot - the caddy raked the bunker as is required.

As good as The Tour course conditions people are, no two bunkers are alike.

This thing is a mess - the interpretation makes no sense.

All the same - hats off to Stewart Cink for living up to the honor of the game of golf.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Apr 3, 2008 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions