SU just stumbled across this story on espn.com about yesterday’s LPGA golf tournament and a 4-stroke penalty that resulted from an email sent in by a TV viewer the next day after it happened.
This happened in a major championship no less. It is hard to believe that this is even allowed. The players are supposed to police themselves. There isn’t a camera on every player on every hole for every shot. And suppose the email came while Thompson was on the 16th hole and they didn’t rule until she was on the 18th green ready to putt?
I know there are many, many golfers on the SU subscriber list. Comments? “Par for the course” in golf?
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Not fair. It was a doiuble penatly for the same infraction. One for the infraction and the second for the bad score that was result of the infraction. If the infraction was caught by the marshallduring the round it would have only been a two stroke penalty and she would have won the tournament.
Even more outrageous, 2 strokes of the penalty were for the infraction but the other 2 strokes were for signing an incorrect scorecard that nobody knew was incorrect at the time. I’m not a golf fan but I won’t get on the sport for after-thefact decisions that change the outcome. These things happen in other sports and are applied inconsistently. George Brett’s homerun was turned into and out during a game and then back into a homerun after-the-fact. And it goes the other way too. The Patriots didn’t have to replay a Super Bowl without Tom Brady after footballs were deflated (and the funny thing there is that we all knew about that infraction BEFORE the game but the penalty was applied a year and a half later).
Still, kudos to golf for finding a way to keep viewers alert during the game. They should offer rewards for viewers who spot infractions. Maybe we should crowd-source officiating in all sports.
Here’s what golf should change: no touching the ball, period. If they’re going to get all picky about how balls are marked and replaced, just get rid of the practice.
Absurd rule to allow tv viewer to have input.
Having said that, I watched her after she was told about the ruling and the amazing thing was that she was able to come back and make up two strokes and get into a playoff. Great control despite being visibly emotional.
The good news for her is that her fan base probably doubled.
Sent from my iPad
Golf is very disappointing with their policy of letting TV trolls call in with rules violations that need to be measured with a micrometer. It is one thing if there was clear intent to gain an advantage, and even then it shouldn’t be permitted.
Using that same logic, we should just do away with basketball referees and let fans at home vote if a foul was committed or not.
Can I just mention that if you are 7’1″ and 300 pounds you should not be 1 for 8 from 2 feet away from the rim. Some of those should just go in by accident.