Did Zach Johnson Cheat To Win The Open?

After the final round of The Open the R & A was inundated with questions about Zach Johnson cheating when he tapped something down on the line of his putt on the 18th which was witnessed by millions.

The R & A finally responded by posting this on their blog:

Johnson with rules official.

“Initially Johnson was not sure if the damage on his line of putt was an old hole plug so he called the referee to seek clarification. With the referee’s assistance (who asked for a second opinion), it was established that it was the remnants of an old hole plug and Johnson was permitted to repair it under Rule 16-1c.

“In addition to this, Johnson repaired some damage closer to the hole which, further to video review, proved to be a ball mark. The Rules allow a player to repair ball marks (Rule 16-1c) and in doing so, the line of putt may be touched (Rule 16-1a).”

This should settle the debate for all those so-called rules experts at home that sit in front of the TV with a rule book and a Decisions book next to them.

The real problem here, at least in my opinion, is that the viewers can have any say-so at all.

I dearly love football, but if I see a rules infraction or an official blows a call (which happens all too often) I can’t jump up and call the SEC and get a late flag. There is no other sport on earth, to my knowledge, where you can do that.

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Which brings up my question – why does the USGA and the R & A continue to allow viewers to call in?

Neither organization has made any attempt to explain why this totally illogical and ridiculous practice is allowed to continue.

They did make a minor change back in 2014 when they issued a statement saying, “A player will not be penalized if the movement of a ball was not reasonably discernible by the naked eye, but only by enhanced video technology”.

They also addressed disqualifying a player after signing his score card in good faith in the scorer’s tent and getting home to find out he had been DQ’d because a viewer called in.

Their response, “For some time, we have been concerned that, in certain limited circumstances, disproportionate disqualification penalties have been required by the rules”. “This carefully considered decision reflects our desire to ensure that the Rules of Golf remain fair and relevant in the changing environment in which the game is played today.”

Not only do I think letting viewers call in is ridiculous, but it is also unfair. The players with the most TV exposure are the ones getting penalized, not everyone.

Golf is the only sport in the world that is based on the player’s integrity. The player is expected to call the rules infraction on themselves. If the player doesn’t call it, and the fellow competitor, who has a vested interest in making sure that the other player isn’t cheating, doesn’t call it, and any rules official present doesn’t call it then it doesn’t get called.

Here’s hoping that when the rules get revised again in 2016 this will be addressed.

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