Today In Backstopping: Finau Saves A Shot, Thomas Says It's His "Right" To Play Quickly To Use Ball On Green As An Aid
During Sunday's Safeway Open final round we had yet another example of the backstopping practice prevalent only in men's professional golf (here, here and here for 2017 samples). In case you haven't been watching, this is the now-regular practice where golf balls are left down on a green unless it's in the path to the hole, with various motives and theories as to why this has become practice instead of players simply marking their ball to protect the field. Speed of play is cited as the reasoning.
As Will Gray points out here for GolfChannel.com, Tony Finau was likely saved a shot during the 2017 Safeway Open final round when he had a buried lie with playing partner Jason Kokrak's 34-yard wedge shot was near the cup. In a post round interview with George Savaricus, Finau said he'd forgotten Kokrak's ball was by the hole when he hit.
"Funny thing is, I forgot he hit. I was so focused on what I needed to do and how hard my shot was," Finau said. "I hit a perfect shot, but it was still going to go about 25-30 feet past. It was a bonus to hit his ball. I used the rules to my advantage, I guess, not knowing."
Finau finished second, one ahead of Phil Mickelson and two behind winner Brendan Steele.
Here is the shot that elicited a response from PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas.
One of the worst #ProtectTheField examples I've ever seen. Finau 2 shots off the lead, ended up saving par from a plugged lie. pic.twitter.com/TsKHqHLrNK
— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) October 8, 2017
In responding to Gray, Thomas said the practice of playing with a ball down by the hole happens "MAYBE" five times a year and is "part of the game, if I want to rush and hit a shot for that reason, it's my right."
So to recap: the player of the year says it's his right to rush a shot before a player can mark it, to gain an advantage that happens maybe five times a year. There you have it!
The implication of Thomas' second tweet is unclear to me. He retweeted a fan's thought related to grandstands and spectators that suggests he views this as a rub of the green matter, even while believing it's his right to take advantage of a competitor's ball on the green.
Somewhere Bobby Jones is harumphing at this admission.
The Rules allow a tournament committee to disqualify a player if they determined "players have agreed not to lift a ball that might assist any competitor."
Thomas also suggested the players are often too far away to mark a ball in time and this is why the practice occurs...five times a year, "MAYBE".
Half the time in these cases--that's MAYBE 2.5 times a year in Thomas's thinking--the walking distance is apparently too great for a player to wait, as Thomas demonstrated on the final day at TPC Boston earlier this season when Marc Leishman chipped up to the sixth hole and Thomas played quickly to enjoy what we now know was a hoped-for advantage.
But if we take the Kokrak-Finau example at Safeway, it would require an extra 20-22 seconds to have walked the 34 yards to slap a coin down before Finau played. Since Finau forgot Kokrak had hit, this wasn't possible. I'm not sure how you forget that a playing partner hit a shot, but alas, this is the situation.
Thomas believes too much attention is being paid to the subject, but prominent others are not agreeing.
While many don't see this practice as a major issue, I do not agree for the very simple reason that professional golf's success is built on the integrity of its players. Corporations pay handsomely to be part of professional golf because they view the athletes as the most honest and upstanding in all of sports. Many fans follow the sport and love it because the athletes have such integrity.
Having a top player openly confessing to taking advantage of a ball on the green to possibly better his chances of finishing near the hole, is not great. If we found that his peers knows he does this and leave the occasional ball down to help him, we'd have the makings of disqualification for violating the rules. That this is even a "thing" speaks to a cultural shift and behavior that, if it becomes commonplace, could cause some to question the integrity of the players. Or, at the very least, make fans question if the players are legitimiately competing or colluding for peculiar reasons.
Besides, play can be sped up in much better ways than this.
Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 08:29 PM
Reader Comments (54)
I mean all you complainers go on and on about slow play and then when we do something you complain about that to.
Stupid.
Unlike its founder, The Masters is notorious for looking the other way on questionable rules situations.
And FWIW - JT's stocks are falling by the day with me. I genuinely expected better.
I suspect the traditional fan base ain't what it used to be. The game is changing and not everyone likes the change. Heck there's lifelong golfers here who speak of not watching Tour events anymore. Sure they play, but they're not PGA Tour buffs like they perhaps were.
Maybe they should change the rule that no one marks until every ball is on the green. Once in awhile a player's ball might be stymied, but I would say that is "rub of the green." Play on. If that would speed up play, I am all for it.
Of all the problems which should be addressed in the modern game, this one is way, way down the list.
But say 3rd shot catches a front bunker. All three make their way to green. first two stand on side of green while 3rd hits, and like Finau, the ball is stopped by one of the other two. Collusion. Should be penalties all around.
This is perfectly clear to me. You have a stroke-play event and each golfer is responsible to the field. The guy in the sand now has a simple par instead of a likely bogey. What could be more plain?
Of course in fourball match play backstopping is an important part of partner play. But that's an entirely different game. There is no field to protect.
The play faster excuse is a transparent dodge...as if approaches and marking the ball constitute the whole problem.
Complete crap.
1 shot penalty stops this cheating tomorrow
These players are supposed to be professional. They should know at least the most elementary rules including the spirit of the game in competition. Including having a duty to protect the field.
Comments like, “… it’s my right” by Justin Thomas shows he has little regard for the field. Sorry Justin, you are a great player, but you are not entitled to that right if it involves protecting the field.
Then Finau says, “… I used the rules to my advantage, I guess, not knowing.” This says he doesn’t have a clear understanding of the matter. They are both defending their situation because they are now both culpable. You know they’d be telling their playing opponent to mark their ball if the ball was in front of the hole, but if it can help them, then it’s another matter… yeah right.
This didn’t happen on the PGA Tour back in the day. Guys like Hale Irwin, Ray Floyd, Lanny Wadkins, Tom Watson set the culture, these guys would rip young Thomas and Finau a new one if they pulled this stunt.
Mike Clayton called it out – “Silent Collusion”— should not be tolerated on the PGA Tour.
Protect the field. They're already insulated from real life, what more do they need?
Let's just change all of the rules because everything is "unfair"
Grow up folks
Modern America at its finest. Does this not sum it up perfectly? Pretty sure I just read in one of the rags that Spieth is still defending Lexi's "mistreatment". I can just about guarantee that Faldo, in his prime, would have walked toward his ball with the intention of marking it, the player trying to hurry would have backed off from seeing movement, and Faldo would have proceeded to mark his ball. He could have cared less that fellow players thought he was a ###k for doing so.
The other issue here is the appearance of favoritism where you get buddies helping each other out but maybe not so for some new guy or maybe a less liked player and that shouldn't be how it works.
'it's my right'
Yep, so does that mean if someone rushes up and marks there ball before Justin Thomas can hit that they are depriving him of his 'rights'?
Incredibly stupid and selfish attitude.
“22/7
Ball Assisting Fellow-Competitor on Putting Green; Procedure for Referee If Competitor Does Not Lift Ball
Q. In stroke play, a competitor’s ball is in a position to assist the play of a fellow-competitor and the competitor is in a position to lift the ball under Rule 22-1 without delaying the fellow-competitor’s play. However, the competitor does not take any action to invoke the Rule. Would a referee be justified in intervening and requesting the competitor to invoke the Rule to protect himself and the rest of the field?
A. Yes. If the competitor were to object, there would be strong evidence of an agreement not to lift the ball for the purpose of assisting the fellow-competitor in breach of Rule 22-1. The referee would be justified in so advising the competitors involved and warning that failure to lift the ball would result in disqualification under Rule 22-1.”
Certainly some judgement involved in determining if a competitor is in a position to lift a ball without delaying play but there have clearly been instances when the spirit of Rule 22-1 has been ignored.
while we're at it, let's have breakfast balls of the first tee as well :)
Exactly, but who are the leaders now that are going to do this? Phil, Furyk, DLIII, Ernie Els...unfortunately I don't see it happening.