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 Chris Gregor
If you like Tiger to win this event, you’re not alone. Vegas have his odds at 6-5. Lefty is the consensus second choice to win and he comes in at 10-1. Yet unlike many, I’m not ready to concede the green jacket to Tiger just yet. This tournament, more so than any other, tests the short game. A 5th Green Jacket? Vegas says so Ponder this for minute; you may recall that Stewart Cink got disqualified in the Zurich Classic, ultimately for signing an incorrect scorecard. Here is what happened; Cink hit a tee shot that did not go into a fairway bunker but he was forced to stand in said bunker in order to hit his second shot. He hacked that shot into another bunker. As he is making his way to play his third from the bunker, his caddie has obviously raked the bunker in which Cink was just forced to stand. Uh-oh can’t do that according to the MENSA members posing as tour officials that day. It was later ruled that by raking the previous bunker, he was in violation of rule 13-4a, by “testing the condition of a hazard”. Since he, nor anyone else at the time had a clue there had been an infraction, Cink signed his scorecard less the penalty. Oops, you’re DQ’d. Too bad, ‘cause Cink was havin’ himself a decent tournament and would have certainly pocketed a reasonable amount of cash. Oh well, live ‘n learn right Stewie….. But hold on just a nit-pickin’ minute. It turns out the officials on site were wrong. Both the USGA and the R&A have overturned the decision of that day and determined that no rule was breeched. As long as you rake the bunker with intent to cover your tracks and not to unfairly test the hazard condition, no penalty and play away. I would hope to &*%@ so! Thanks anyway for clarifying that for all of us who were scratching our heads at the time. But what about Cink? The officials at the Zurich DQ’d a guy who should not have been. Likely cost him substantial coin and  Our bad Stewie - See ya' next year? |
