When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong: Player Mistakenly DQ'd for Grooves
by Ryan Ballengee on Jul 27, 2010 11:33 AM EDT
in Pro Golf
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PrintOne of the major challenges that the USGA said they would have in implementing the new groove regulations was enforcement. The organization was struggling with a consistent measuring technique that could be taken on the road and used by the staff of the major tours.
Aside from the Mickelson-McCarron controversy in San Diego, there have been few other incidents on record of enforcement issues. The lone other reported case was in a sectional qualifier for the US Women's Open in which a player who had apparently earned a spot into the tournament was eventually DQ'd when the USGA declared one of her wedges to be out of compliance with the regulation.
Enter Sarah Brown. (Not to be confused with the Sara Brown that is on Big Break: Sandals.) Sarah is an 18 year old who just turned pro. She was a member of the junior Ryder Cup team. She sat at 106th on the Futures Tour money list with just $2921 in earnings.
Having played two respectable rounds of 69-70 in the three round event in Concorde, NH, Brown was disqualified by Futures Tour officials in the final round for grooves in her Ping Tour W (of course) wedges supposed not conforming to the specs set forth by the USGA. She was disqualified just six shots out of the lead, and in position to make half as much as she had to that point in the season.
Problem was that her wedge was conforming. So, what's the remedy? On the Futures Tour, as Steph Connelly tells us, money is everything. The money list is all that matters. Obviously, the Futures Tour cannot predict what Sarah would have done, but there needs to be a bump in her position on the money list - even if she doesn't get paid - because of this injustice.
And, a crucial lesson is taught here. When players or their cunning parents want to make accusations about a competitor's clubs, that is fine, but don't make a rash decision. Brown should have been allowed to finish the tournament, then go to the USGA and determine if she should be disqualified.
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Boy, that stinks.....
I’m not sure what can be done, but surely she should have been allowed to finish and then the proper ruling should have been made. At worse, the tour should refund her entry fee and expenses for the tournament. Hopefully this will situation will serve as a learning experience for the tour, and procedures will be put in place to see that it doesn’t happen again.
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
Well, legal action could also take
place…I agree EM it stinks….Lets find out if this was a random test or if another player or parent actually did complain or do the accusing….if so, she has the option against the tour, and the individual who complained….But really, the only one who will make money are the guys in the suits…..Wendy….What’s a PENCE and how much is it worth…pls ?…you said in another post, you would have some ROUGH WINE with the finger food….What do you consider rough….have you ever had MAD DOG 20 20 ? that;s so rough, it dissolves paint…..STUB
Not a lot STUB!
100 pence in a £, exchange rate something like £1=$1.55?
I mean ordinary table wine, rather than a grand appellation. I’ve had the odd bottle of paint-stripper, tastes OK after the third bottle.
Yur sayin ya get ordinary table wine
in a bottle ? Well jingle my spurs…we gets it in a box over here….thank ya fir the exchange inform…What is that symbol your using….I don’t have that on my key board….trying to equate same to the BP share price…..STUB
Can't you just google BP share price?
in UK pounds (£) BP high was 655.38 pence low was 302.78 pence, currently standing at 406 pence. Therefore something like $6.29 per share over here.
RB – it’s not a Ping Eye wedge – it’s a new Ping TOUR wedge.
The problem comes in that, at least this year, companies are making identical looking wedges with the different groove patterns. Sometimes it can be very difficult to tell the two apart from the markings depending on the manufacturer.
I do agree with your conclusion. She should have been told to play out the tournament, leaving the wedge with a tournament official overnight so it couldn’t be switched out, and then have the grooves checked after the tournament just in case something like this happens.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I believe that Ms. Brown indeed deserves some compensation in the money standings. At least as much as her standing in the tournament when she was erroneously disqualified.
Can’t do that since you don’t know how she would have played the final round. She wasn’t going to win from 6 shots back, but she could have finished bad enough to just get happy meal coupons.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
OMP's suggestion sounds fair to me
Her standing in the tournament AT THE POINT she was erroneously disqualified.
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