USGA makes adjustments to the caddie in line rule

The USGA ran into controversy early in 2019, when enforcement of the new “Caddie in Line” rule reared it’s ugly head. Within weeks they have made an adjustment, and are showing a better feel for the relationship with the golfing world.

When Haotong Li was penalized for having his caddie in his line recently, the golf world got into a tizzy. It clearly wasn’t intentional, and it ended up costing him around $100,000 because of an inadvertent mistake. The USGA saw a second incident occur Friday during the WMPO with Denny McCarthy.

This time, they fixed it before things could go to far. On the 15th hole, a penalty was applied as his caddie was behind him while he took practice swings. The caddie moved away, and McCarthy stepped up to hit his ball. The rule originally stated that only on the green could the players reset themselves without receiving a penalty.

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Early Saturday morning, the USGA adjusted the rule to address the issue. Getting together with R&A, the USGA issued the following statement. “If a player backs away from a stance, the player is not considered to have begun a ‘stance for the stroke.’ Therefore, a player can now back away from his or her stance anywhere on the course and avoid a breach of Rule 10.2b(4) if the caddie had been standing in a location behind the ball.”

This should help to avoid some of the incidental occurrences. If either the player or the caddie realizes what is happening, the player can reset themselves without a penalty being applied. Unfortunately it didn’t happen in Li’s case, and it cost him dearly.

It is great to see the USGA acting so quickly, and working to fix a rule that is causing undue problems. They have said they want to work with R&A to improve the situation, and clarify the rule. It’s one thing to say it, if they actually come through and continue to improve the rule, it will show a big step forward for golf.

In the past, the USGA, R&A, and golf in general have been very slow to adapt to any type of change. Lawyers think the rule book is too convoluted. You can be penalized for some of the most inane things imaginable. 2019 seems to be a step in the right direction.

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With the recent rule changes, golf really does seem to be moving in the right direction. Regardless of the sport, change is always met with pushback. It’s human nature to be wary and cautious of change. Depending on where you look, and what studies you read, golf is either declining, staying steady, or increasing in popularity. It can be hard to tell which way is true. One thing can be said for certain. As long as the USGA works to improve the game, it’s better for everyone involved.

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