Course rulings bring review of policy

After a high-profile ruling involving Tiger Woods in 2013, a Masters Tournament official vowed to re-examine how the tournament disperses its rules officials.

But competitors this week don’t seem to care that the Masters is the only major that doesn’t assign a walking rules official to each group.

Augusta National and Masters Chairman Billy Payne will address the media today at his annual “State of the Masters” news conference, and last year’s rulings are expected to come up. Payne is usually accompanied by Fred Ridley, the chairman of the tournament’s rules and competition committees, and Craig Heatley, the chairman of the media committee.

The Woods ruling and a slow-play penalty assessed on 14-year-old amateur Tianlang Guan caused a furor on social media last year.

After Woods took an improper drop on the 15th hole that eventually cost him a two-stroke penalty, Ridley said the club would re-examine its practices.

“If there’s one thing about the Masters Tournament, whether it’s whether or not we’re going to have chicken sandwiches next year or whatever, we look at everything,” Ridley said last year. “And we do that with the competition, so we’ll be looking at this situation, what could we do in the future, is there any different processes we could employ.”

Ridley has at his disposal dozens of the top rules officials in the world, and many have worked the Masters for years. The Masters is expected to continue its policy of assigning rules officials to specific holes and using a handful of roving officials.

That’s OK with players.

“No, I don’t have any preference,” two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal said Tuesday. “I think that the main thing is to have the right people and the ruling has to be efficient, and do it quickly.

“We do have referees on each hole, so usually if you need some kind of help or information regarding any ruling, they are very quick in that regard. I’m pretty happy with that. I’ve had quite a few rulings on different holes and didn’t have any problems.”

Dustin Johnson said he didn’t care either way, while second-year player Russell Henley said he preferred a walking rules official.

In 2004, Ernie Els hit his tee shot on the par-4 11th hole deep into the woods on the left, and his ball wound up in some debris. The rules official assigned to that hole said Els would have to take a penalty if he wished to move the ball.

Els called for a second opinion, and rules Chairman Will Nicholson came to the spot and granted the South African a free drop. He made bogey, but later that night he thought he might have violated the rules in another way.

“That evening I asked if (the ball) moved and Will Nicholson said no,” Els said Tuesday. “The next morning I said I feel uncomfortable because if it moved, I’m not playing. I couldn’t play with that on my back. The whole committee said it was OK, so I played.”

Though Els would eventually lose to Phil Mickelson by a stroke that year, his conscience was clear.

“You can ask for second opinions and so forth,” he said. “There is a head referee, in that case it was Will Nicholson. In Tiger’s case last year it was Fred Ridley. They’ve got it pretty much under control here.”

Augusta National statement on Guan penalty

Guan penalized for slow play

Don't blame referee for penalizing Tianlang Guan

Rules committee investigating Woods drop on 15

Augusta National statement on Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods posts on Twitter about drop on No. 15

Patrons react to Woods, Guan rulings

Woods reacts to ruling

Woods receives 2-shot penalty, stays in tournament

Masters competition chairman defends not disqualifying Tiger Woods

Officials have been called in before for a Woods-related ruling

Michaux: Tiger Woods should do the honorable thing

Masters followed rulebook in assessing penalty on Woods

Rulings on Woods, Guan create buzz at Masters

Amateur Tianlang Guan adds to his Masters lore

Michaux: Woods ruling a failure by all parties

Players at Masters react to penalty on Tiger

2013 Masters featured plenty of firsts

CLUB STATEMENTS ON LAST YEAR’S BIG RULINGS

ON TIANLANG GUAN’S PENALTY

“Tianlang Guan was assessed a one-shot penalty for violation of Rule 6-7 of the Rules of Golf and the tournament’s pace of play policy. His group, which included Ben Crenshaw and Matteo Manassero, was deemed out of position on No. 10. Guan began being timed on Hole 12 and received his first warning on Hole 13 after his second shot. In keeping with the applicable rules, he was penalized following his second shot on the 17th hole when he again exceeded the 40-second time limit by a considerable margin.”

ON TIGER WOODS’ PENALTY

“Yesterday afternoon, the Rules Committee was made aware of a possible rules violation that involved a drop by Tiger Woods on the 15th hole.

“In preparation for his fifth shot, the player dropped his ball in close proximity to where he had played his third shot in apparent conformance with Rule 26. After being prompted by a television viewer, the Rules Committee reviewed a video of the shot while he was playing the 18th hole. At that moment and based on that evidence, the committee determined he had complied with the rules.

“After he signed his scorecard, and in a television interview subsequent to the round, the player stated that he played further from the point than where he had played his third shot. Such action would constitute playing from the wrong place.

“The subsequent information provided by the player’s interview after he had completed play warranted further review and discussion with him this morning. After meeting with the player, it was determined that he had violated Rule 26, and he was assessed a two-stroke penalty.

“The penalty of disqualification was waived by the committee under Rule 33 as the committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player’s round.”

– Fred Ridley, chairman, competition committees