Here we go again... Michelle Wie, at the top of the leaderboard, gets DQ'd from State Farm Classic
Add commentsThe British Open is drawing all the attention this weekend, so golf fans can be forgiven for missing what was a pretty major story at the LPGA State Farm Classic. Once again, Michelle Wie found herself disqualified.
Her error this time was the sin of omission?after a stellar round of 65 on Friday that put her in second place, she forgot to sign her scorecard. Volunteers called her back, she walked back and signed it, and thought everything was fine.
It wasn’t.
She had already stepped outside the roped area around the scorer’s tent before she was called back, a no-no according to Rule 6-6. “She was like a little kid after you tell them there’s no Santa Clause,” said an oddly gleeful-sounding Sue Witters, the LPGA’s director of tournament competitions who broke the news to Wie and apparently goes around telling little kids that there’s no Santa Clause.
Like the 2005 Samsung Championship, where a bad drop cost her a fourth-place finish, she was informed of her error well after the fact. In this case, she made the mistake on Friday, but wasn’t informed until after completing her Saturday round.
This DQ hurts a lot more than the Samsung did, three years ago: Her three rounds of 67, 65, 67 were her best performances of late?there’s no telling what might have been, but another good round could have clinched her first LPGA victory.
This was as costly a mistake as Michelle could have made. She’s been trying to earn her way onto the LPGA via the money-list rule, whereby the top 80 money makers receive automatic exemption for the following year. Had she placed second or better this weekend, a Tour card would have been all but assured.
She’s allowed to play in only eight LPGA events in ‘08, and the State Farm was her sixth. Opportunities to crack that top 80 are running out.
The good news, for Michelle, is the fact that she was in second place at all. It’s been a while since she’s seen the other side of par, let alone seventeen strokes below it. The fact that she got to seventeen under, with the outright lead on the 17th hole of the third round has got to be a boost to a confidence that’s taken a beating lately.
| « The ladies locker room wish list | My second ball is a scratch golfer » |
Comment feed for this post
The Accidental Golfer:
Brandon Tucker:
Mark Nessmith:
Jason Scott Deegan:
Sue Witters, the LPGA?s director of tournament competitions, disqualified Wie in a small office in an LPGA trailer at the golf course after asking her what had happened.
?She was like a little kid after you tell them there?s no Santa Claus,? Witters said.
We all realize that Bubbles isn't very bright, but she had to know that she was on thin ice after she was chased down by a volunteer to have her belatedly sign her scorecard.
The honorable thing for her to do would have been to return to the scoring table and inform the LPGA officials of her latest faux pas. She would have been disqualified then and there.
Instead, she , her parents, and her agent chose for Bubbles to attempt to skate by.
Fortunately, there were too many people who were aware of this subterfuge.
Alex USMC 1969-73
How stupid is The Teenage Golf Sensation?!
"As I said, the score does not reflect how I played today."
--Coolio
Good grief, is Bumberger still around. I thought he moved to Siberia to write expose on the reindeer. I read that Tseng shot a solid 72 and OH NO shot a 69 to get into the one hole playoff.
The thing is this is one of the easier courses on tour. Wide fairways short holes. It is tough to putt though.
Go Michelle, but stay out of the men's game or you will suffer.
This is the "heart of the game" accordong to the LPGA and yet it is left to volunteers.
Those same volunteers were talking amongst themselves when they were overheard by LPGA officials.
LPGA, you are unfortunately proving Judge Smails correct. You are a pitty-pat bunch trying to play in the real world and it shows.
Oh and btw, the current British Open Champion pulled this same mistake in 2000. Forgot to sign his score card and was DQ'd.
Yup, none other than Padraig Harrington.
http://www.rte.ie/sport/2000/0514/golf.html
Funny tho, no one skewered him like they are Michelle.
I felt awful for Harrington after that flap at the Belfry. Like Wie, it was looking like an important win for him, and he didn't find out until after his third round. And I guess it shows that no one is immune to mental lapses after shooting in the low 60s.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/golf/747497.stm
As to all the others out there just jumping on the bandwagon of "lets beat on Michelle some more" need to get a life.
Attributing thoughts and felings to Michelle that she has never mentioned is totally ridiculous.
She can screw things up well enough all on her own without the Alexs of the world accusing her of lieing, cheating and dishonesty when none has been proven.
Good thing for most of them that they cannot be held responsible for their statements in this anonymous internet setting....yet.
Bu it's looking more and more like the anonymity will soon be a thing of the past. And high time too. If you make an accusation, you better have the ammo to back it up.
"None other than Padraig Harrington and Mark Roe made the same mistake.." etc.
I don't care if Harrington or Roe did it. It doesn't made it any more acceptable.
"Never mind Michelle, two-time Open Championship winner Padraig Harrington has done that, so don't worry about it. If he's done it, it's really no big deal at all."
The reasons the scoring tent exists are:
1) to total up your scores, and
2) to sign it.
Wie is a spoilt brat, utterly clueless about anything other than smashing a tee shot a long way with a driver. So what if the scoring tent was full of volunteers? How in any way does this excuse a 'professional golfer' from forgetting to sign her card? Stick up for the stupid girl all you want, but if she can't remember to do something so simple as signing her card, what chance does she stand of ever going far on this tour.
1) to total up your scores, and
2) to sign it.
"
Really?
Hmm, then The Royal and Ancient as well as the USGA has it all wrong.
I won't make this easy for you Dave, but if you go look up rule 33-5 I believe there is mention made in that set of rules that it is the responsibility of "the commitee" to add the scores.
Nowhere in that set of rules is there any mention of the commitee doing so in a timely manner.
Also, in reading through rule 6-6 I can find no mention of leaving a roped off area or the scoring trailer prior to signing the score card. It may be in the LPGAs local rules.
"At the end of your round:
? In match play, ensure the result of the match is posted.
? In stroke play, ensure that your score card is completed properly
and return it as soon as possible. (Rule 6-6)"
(Rule 6-6 b)
"b. Signing and Returning Score Card
After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score
for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee.
He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score
card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as
soon as possible."
Again, no mention of leaving the scoring tent, trailer, rope corral or any other enclosure. And no mention of penalty for doing so.
Oh yes, those are direct quotes from the online rule book printed by the Royal and Ancient in Scotland, and therefore probably in violation of copyright.
So, all those wunderkind that want to jump all over me, just go and get the official rules and quote them exactly as they read from the Rules commitees handbook.
If I'm wrong, then give us chapter and verse.
Don't just assume that because some ratched jawed reporter got verbose with his scribbling, that it is gosple. Reporters are very prone to stretching the truth to make their stories look good.
Don't worry about it and get the popcorn ready for 7/31 as she goes up against the men again in Reno-Tahoe.
I was wondering if she makes 80K+ in that one would that get her tour qualified for the LPGA. Wonder if the rule specifies only monies won on the LPGA tour can be counted or is it any golf tournament monies gets her qualified?
Mostly, at this point I am really curious about who is interpreting the rules, what rules are they using etc. and so forth.
All part of the pecedings leading up to the next best spectacle that everyone will use to hang a licking on Wie again.
2 rules at play here... 1 LPGA rule that forced her into a USGA gotcha rule.
Let's move on and see what happens next week. Will enjoy when all the reporters (posters) go bonkers. This is getting to be fun again.
Problem here is there are 2 rule books in play. The USGA & the LPGA. She is not an LPGA member so one wonders if there is a valid excuse for her not knowing all the intricacies of their (LPGA) rules. When she plays on the Asian tour, I wonder if she knows all the intricacies of their rules too.
Just a thought. What do you think?
Section III Rule 6-6 deals with scoring.
See, theres where everyone gets off track, most of you have never read the rules from start to finish.
You all tend to rely on someone else to interpret thos rules.
The only possible rule would have to fall under and LPGA tournament rule.
USGA rules don't seem to define the rule Michelle was apparently DQ'd under.
Oh, and I have just read the rules for the third time tonight.
Section III, Rule 6-6(a) Recording Scores.
(b) Signing and Returning Score Card
(c) Alteration of Scorecard
(d) Wrong Score for Hole.
no 2 rules at play, I seriously doubt that most people have really read the rules.
Come on Jennifer, where have they hidden the rule about leaving the scoring area.
Section III rules 31 thru 34 deal with rules etc, especially disputes, but again, there is no mention of leaving the are and returning to sign the card.
The same rule recently worked against new pro Stacy Lewis who is also trying to join the LPGA through the money list rule. She just earned over $160K by tying for third at the women's US Open, but because the Open is a USGA event rather than LPGA, the earnings don't count.
P4P, I guess you are correct if you insist that only USGA rules apply here but she was in the SFC which is an LPGA sanctioned event and their Rules of Play apply too. 2 rule books in play here where 1 rule (LPGA item 3) shoves her into a violation of another rule (USGA 6-6b). The perfect "gotcha."
Maybe Jen can explain it better than I can.
Here's 6-6b in the Rules of Golf:
Signing and Returning Score Card
After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.
Here's Item number 3 of the 2008 LPGA Rules of Play: Returning of scorecards, 6-6, page 31 ? A player is deemed to have returned her scorecard to the committee when she leaves the roped area of the scoring tent or leaves the scoring trailer.
So basically, the USGA rule says you have to return a signed scorecard, and the LPGA rule goes a step farther and defines exactly when a scorecard is considered returned.
Saying 'yes' or 'maybe' to the 2nd question might make putt4parr happier, I think.
A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted.
Any penalty less than disqualification must not be waived or modified.
If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule.
Bubbles has no chance to make the cut at Reno. NONE. I know it, you know it, and even putt4par probably knows it.
Have you ever seen that course? I have. I played it in June of 2005 from the members tees. It was LONG then. From the championship tees it's about 7500 yards long. The terrain is similar to that of Mystic Rock in Pennsylvania. Lots of huge trees and scattered boulders. Very steep inclines and declines. And we all know how Bubbles played at Mystic Rock, about 15 over par for two rounds.
Bubbles should be infinity to one to make the cut at Montreux. Anything less and a bettor would be giving his money away
Alex USMC 1969-73
Bu
It is a local rule (ie, LPGA tournament rules) which is fine, I just couldn't find it.
Since she did sign her card, under the R & A rules, she would have been fine.
Lol, Alex, I can see your basic sense of ill humor has not dissipated over the past winter and this summer.
c. Alteration of Score Card
No alteration may be made on a score card after the competitor has returned it to the Committee.
She had returned it to the committee when she left the tent. That's where my 33-7 comes in to play.
I'm happy that you've seen fit to end your self-imposed exile from this forum.
I thought that you might have ended it all, or returned to the re-hab facility.
What's with this veiled threat to end internet anonymity? I retired a few months ago, so I haven't kept up with all you pseudo attorneys. You haven,t been in touch with our erstwhile friend Ghet Rheel, have you?
It's good that you don't give a rodent's rectum if Bubbles doesn't make the cut in Reno, since she has NO chance. In fact, she may have trouble walking two rounds on that course. And if it's hot, as it is many times in the Reno-Tahoe area at that time of year, Bubbles may have to resort to the old reliable "heat exhaustion."
Ah misogyny, thy name is Alex!
Alex USMC 1969-73
Michelle apparently is not at Evian, whcih would have been her last chance.
When Michelle failed to win this recent tournament, her shot at that piece of golf history fizzled.
It's ironic that the two golfers who probably annoy the Wie Warriors the most -- Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel -- are the youngest golfers to win an LPGA event, and LPGA major, respectively.
-George
Your 6-6c claim is that she altered her card by signing it because she had previously returned it unsigned when she left the area.
LPGA 6-6b claim is that she left the area so her card was returned unsigned.
Chicken or egg, which came 1st? Well... the moment the last fraction of an inch of her "beautiful" body moved over the line (rope?), that's the moment 6-6b was violated... a few inches (feet?) later a volunteer catches up with her and has her sign which violates 6-6c. Your 6-6c violation was a few inches (feet?) too late.
But your mention of 33-7 is intriguing. For all of their (LPGA & Sue Witters) pomposity and claimed detailed knowledge of the rules, they probably forgot about 33-7 and using it to waive the DQ because of "exceptional individual case" circumstances.
You are wrong Jennifer. There is nothing about stepping outside the roped area in rule 6-6 in the official rules of golf...this is strictly a LPGA item 3 rule.
http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?mid=2&pid=16531
Within that LPGA posted explanation (excuse?), this quote, "Rule 6-6, page 31. (A player is deemed to have returned her score card to the Committee when she leaves the roped area of the scoring tent or leaves the scoring trailer)." was as you correctly stated NOT FOUND in the "USGA The Rules of Golf". These words are from Item 3 in the LPGA Rules of Play book... again as you correctly stated.
In Jen's defense, she did start her answer with this "...an adjunct to 6-6 of the USGA's Rules of Golf." Keyword here is "adjunct". Which is a valid way of stating that "the LPGA Rules of Play Item 3 precisely defines the end point of what the USGA 6-6b means by '...and return it to the Committee as soon as possible'"
Like I wrote before, MW was done in by 2 separate rule books... 1 rule (Item 3) shoving her into the "gotcha" of another rule (6-6b).
But, not to worry as she tees it up in the LRTO next week. This could be the ONE. LOL Now... where is that popcorn.
Ron, don't believe that .... so her card was returned unsigned.
Chicken or egg, which came 1st? Well... the moment..."
Everyone know that the chicken came first, as eggs are incapable of cuming!
Also, you must realise that the PGA Tour, the European Tour, the LPGA Tour etc. set a bunch of tournament rules and regulations. The Rules of Golf and these tournament regulations work alongside each other; neither contradict one another. So, simply put, just because the Rule book makes no mention of scoring tents and zones and silly spoilt teenage brats, it doesn't mean that the LPGA cannot have a set of tournament regulations. They do not interfere with the Rules of Golf, nor do they override any of them. Understand that not every golf course has a bloody scoring tent at the end of it, so don't go looking in the official Rule book; and of course there's no mention of scoring zones in the Rule book, this little policy is set by the LPGA to make things run smoothly. I have no idea why you had trouble believing this regulation was in place just because you couldn't find it in the Rule book!
Another example is the following. In the Rules of Golf, there is no Rule banning practising on a hole (from a non-hazard; see Rule book for more info) after it has been completed. However, all the major tours don't allow it, for obvious reasons.
putt4parr, I HAVE read the Rules of Golf cover to cover, many times. I understand the Rules well, and I think every golfer should. Your misunderstanding of the issues here, and your argument that she was unjustly disqualified as she went against nothing in the Rules of Golf, was so ludicrous that to begin with I actually thought you were joking.
I site R&A as the final authority.
Tough if you don't agree.
As to your conclusion that I think she was unjustly DQ'd, I have to question your reading comprehension.
Not once have I said she shouldn't be DQ'd.
What I did ask was to have it shown where the rule said anything about a roped off are.
Jennifer gave me my answer.
Only the LPGA Additional note/adjunct to rule 6-6b adds that description. That was the answer I was looking for.
Oh and I have read those same rules too, boyo. I was asking for clarification of something that seemed to be peculiar only to the LPGA. But again, if you, Dave, cannot read and comprehend what I was asking, then that is your problem, not mine.
Have a great day.
OK, now that we've argued these issues to death, and the golf world has moved on, let's just let it be.
Whether or not this whole scoring zone thing is a good regulation or not doesn't really matter, because we're not pulling the strings here.
I look forward to Michelle's peformance at next week's Reno-Tahoe Open. Should be a laugh.
She most likely has gained more tournament experience playing from bad lies and out of the rough than most LPGA golfers.
You must have the something similar to NASCAR in England. When you say you look forward to Michelle's performance next week because you think it will be a laugh, that is like the people attending NASCAR just to see a wreck. If you do not have anything nice to say about Michelle, then do not say anything at all.
You can't be serious. If you are, you had better stay out of that tropical sun.
So far in 2008, Bubbles has completed three events of the five to which she received exemptions. In the US Open, an event sanctioned by the LPGA, she missed the cut, as she did in the Michelob. She also missed the cut in the State Farm where she was disqualified after the second round.
In the tournaments on the LPGA tour where she did complete four rounds, she finished T72nd in the Fields, 20 shots behind the winner, Paula Creamer, T46th in the Farr, 17 strokes behind Paula, and T24th at the Wegman's, ONLY 12 shots behind the winner.
Are those the indications of "remarkable improvement" in Bubbles' game of which you speak?
Remarkable improvement is usually shown by wins, top 5's, top 10's, or even top 20's. Not so with Bubbles' game. Unless, of course, you want to count her sixth place in the German Women's Open, which had probably the thinnest, weakest field on any women's tour this year.
Pacrim, your writing and choice of words indicate that you are not an idiot.
Therefore, I must conclude that your ridiculous pronouncements are but poor and thinly veiled attempts as a "devil's advocate" to elicit comment.
Alex USMC 1969-73
Joe, I'm not really sure where you're coming from with this one. This is a blog, a place to discuss golf issues. It isn't a fan club; it's a place to put your opinions out there.
I guess your brain stopped working for a second there?
"Michelle Wie: The Story of a Teen Who Conned Nike and Sony Out of Millions of Dollars"
Or maybe:
"Michelle Wie: The Anna Kournikova of Golf"
Or:
"How To Get To World No. 2 Without Winning Anything"
"Michelle Wie: A Marketing Triumph"
Any more ideas?
"The Sensational Story of a Teenage Golf Prodigy Who Hasn't Won Anything Just Yet But Probably Will Soon 'Cause She's Now 'Back' From That Fake Wrist Injury"
I was just trying to protect my little sister!
Michelle's main goal is Stanford which she stated during an interview. I do not think she has any desire to go to Q School should she not finish in the top three at the CWO. To go even further, I do not think she even wants to finish in the top 80 on the money list, because then she would have to accept her LPGA card and I don't think she wants the card anytime soon. She will go back to Stanford in the Fall and take her exemptions for the 2009 LPGA season. When she says that she doesn't really care what people say about her, I find that unusual for an eighteen year old girl. Perhaps her arrogance is brought forth by the fact that she is financially set for life. Hmmm, does Madonna ring a bell?
Do not forget to call Michelle and tell her the Q-School application deadline is 9-9-2008 at 5:30 pm EDT. I am sure she will not want to forget to file her application.
Where are you? What are you up to?
Why no blogs?