While I was roaming the floors of the PGA Show yesterday with some mainstream media brethren, I was told that Alan Shipnuck got into a little trouble for Tweeting about Phil Mickelson's round as it was happening at Torrey Pines.  According to the PGA Tour's agreement that credentialed media sign, they are not allowed to purport play-by-play updates of live tournament action. 

It's rule 7c, according to Steph Wei, who I'm glad to see caught this and memorialized it.  In the sport, we talk so often about the honor of the game and that players call penalties on themselves.  In this case (and that of Ron Sirak and others that Tweet live action), they shouldn't have to do that.  The Tour should be calling a foul on themselves.

The basic rule is that media who are credentialed by the Tour for that week cannot Tweet live action.  But what about the other weeks of the year when we're not at an event?  Is it ok to Tweet then?  I mean, after all, we're just normal people at that point - not mooching off of Tour-provided food and beverage in their air-conditioned media centers.

What's to stop me from live Tweeting everything that is happening at the tournament when I'm not there?  Am I to hold myself up to some kind of vow of silence about Tour action when I'm not at an event?  I really don't have the time or interest to do play-by-play on Twitter, but if I get really bored one Saturday afternoon, I want the option.

The same thing applies to people who just happen to be fans of the Tour on Twitter.  They could Tweet the live action as it happens.  Will the Tour send them a direct message politely asking them to not Tweet?  Get serious.

I knew this day was coming.  At the US Open this year, the USGA had a regulation against live messaging in much the same fashion as the PGA Tour's.  And everybody and their grandmother ignored it.  Ultimately, the USGA didn't care and probably had very little leverage against a pissy media corps that could have been stuck on Long Island until Tuesday.  The Tweeting actually worked out in the USGA's favor because it gave fans something to look at and some looks behind the scenes of the tournament as it was being delayed. 

The PGA Tour may well have to cede to social media on this one.  The prolific nature of social media is just too much for one organization to enforce.