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Michelle Wie disqualified for signature oversight
By Stone Martindale Jul 20, 2008, 16:16 GMT
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Older Talkback
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Not too tough, just too stupid. Should have waited till after she won the SFC before DQing her. It's all about ratings and now... nothing else matters in today's world.
The LPGA followed the rule.
Unfortunately, the timing and method of disqualifying Michelle Wie stunk.
The signature on the scorecard is at the very heart of the rules according to LPGA officials.
In a tournament where every move and every mistake is recorded by the media and television, I find it laughable at best that any scorecard needs to be signed or that she couldn't walk out of and back into the tent and then sign her card. She never removed it from the officials view, so what was she going to change?
These people are trying to convince the IOC to include golf in the 2016 Olympics? and they pull something like this, waiting til they milked all the media glory from TV and the crowd before DQ'ing Michelle.
LPGA, you lost a lot of credibility.
Sue Witters, your comments were unworthy of you and unneccesary. In this case, the only class shown was by Michelle.
What did she think she entered the scoring/signing tent to do? Dumb, really dumb. Totally her fault. If you want to play professional golf, it is incumbent upon you to know the rules no matter how ridiculous they may seem to you. She has been touted as a 'phenom' for too long and has yet to produce any evidence to deserve the attention!
Quote' zyrpJul 20th, 2008 - 20:27:25
What did she think she entered the scoring/signing tent to do? Dumb, really dumb. Totally her fault. If you want to play professional golf, it is incumbent upon you to know the rules no matter how ridiculous they may seem to you. She has been touted as a 'phenom' for too long and has yet to produce any evidence to deserve the attention!' end-Quote
I wonder if you have ever been distracted enough from anything that you forgot what you were supposd to be doing?
Also, at 18 yrs of age, just how well do you suppose you could handle the pressures that thes proffesionals are under.
Dumber than Wie's mistake is your comment.
The LPGA seems to have put the rules above the sport in this case.
Any player should be punished for doing anything that intentionally or unintentionally biases the outcome of a game. An example would be performing an improper drop (which Wie has done before, and been disqualified for). Even if there is no specific rule covering it, if an official notices something that defiles or that is intended to defile the sport, a punishment should be forthcoming.
By contrast, no player should be punished for doing something that has no intended or actual influence on the outcome of a game. Even if there is a specific rule covering it, officials should have latitude to apply rules in a manner that is best for the sport.
The rules are there to support the game, not the other way around.
Dan Freedman, Honolulu, HI
What Michelle needs is an intelligent and golf-knowledgeable caddie. 'Hey, Michelle, sign your card.'
quote 'a golfer'
I wonder if you have ever been distracted enough from anything that you forgot what you were supposd to be doing?
Also, at 18 yrs of age, just how well do you suppose you could handle the pressures that thes proffesionals are under.
Dumber than Wie's mistake is your comment.
I play in tournaments all the time. We learned to sign our cards when we were 8!
If her parents would of have had her play junior golf she would have both learned how to win and the rules. The LPGA is a big girls tour and she has no experinece to draw on.
This is unfortunate incident and purely a stupid decision by the LPGA. I agree that everyone should follow the rules of golf. But rules golf that are antiquated and does not affect the integrity of the game should be buried and abandon. Michelle Wie did not cheat or change any of her score. Its an honest mistake and after all golf is not perfect. The severity of punishment does not merit disqualification. A penalty stroke might be justified. Officials should be able to make a decision to rectify the mistakes withoutaffecting the outcome of the game. I am a great fan of LPGA, but once I heard this incident, I didn't even care to watch or interested in following the game Sunday. Because whoever is the winner, in my book should have an asterisk after it.
The biggest problem I have is that they waited a full day to DQ her. According to the LPGA's rules, once she leaves the scoring tent it's too late to sign the card. But at the same time, once she starts her next round it should surely be too late to take disciplinary action for the previous round. It's like when the next snap occurs in football, it's too late to challenge the last play.
This story will not die.
There will be professional golfers in many associations who will soon report when they failed to sign their card...and were allowed to play.
There will be scorers from many tournaments who will soon report when a pro golfer failed to sign their card...and were allowed to play. There will be scorers from many tournaments who will soon report when a pro golfer signed their card after they left the tent area...and were allowed to play.
What is the statute of limitations? How long after the certified scores are posted are you allowed to correct an error? Once posted, are they certified? Do you sign in pencil? Let us get real small here. This is bunk.
The LPGA does not like Michelle Wie. They should say it out loud. Their players confide this fact to all who play with them in the LPGA pro-ams. She is not forgiven for walking off the course with the high score looming.
The contrast between a classless Sue Winters and a composed Michelle Wie was stark.
The LPGA needs to do a serious investigation.
What distracted Michelle? Did she sign a hat in the tent?...a ball? ...a program? Did anyone congratulate her on her round? Who was supposed to check? What is the checkers name? How long did it take the checker to tell Ms. Winters? Who told Ms. Winters? Who gave Ms. Winters the classless Santa quote?
Sue Witters and the LPGA needs to chill out. This rule is ridiculous. I remember Snead and Hogan signing their card behind the 18th green. Who came up with this rule. Rules are meant to assist the players and enhance the game. Michelle's score was correct and verified.
If anything, the LPGA should be scrutinized for having voluteers who are not assisting the players. The bottom line for these volunteers are to assist the players. The card should have been checked twice by the volunteers (proper scoring, addition & signing) before allowing the players to leave.
Golf is a game of integrity. I have played it as a junior, an amateur and as a professional and this rule way out of line. The LPGA should blame the volunteers for turning Michelle in after they failed to check if her card was signed prior to letting her leave this scoring area.
In this modern day of television and media coverage along with scorers with each group, there is no reason why these tour professionals should need to sign their score card.
Sue Witters and the LPGA will be having a tournament at the Kapalua Golf Club later this year. Sue, you are not welcomed to Maui. You are a big cry baby and a whiner. She may have been 'the class brown nose' while growing up. Well, she found the perfect job.
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