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.

Comments

[Mike Clayton]

It may not be cheating but it's the nearest thing to it. Grow up,Justin Thomas. Grow up.

[Leo47]

Rob S...the following decision would address the situation you describe...

Stroke Play: Refusal To Comply With A Rule
3-4/1
Competitor Not Given Opportunity to Lift Ball Assisting Fellow-Competitor
Q. In stroke play, A’s ball lies near the hole in a position to assist B, whose ball lies off the putting green. A states his intention to lift his ball under Rule 22-1. B mistakenly believes that A does not have the right to lift his ball and plays before A has an opportunity to lift his ball. What is the ruling?
A. B is disqualified under Rule 3-4 as he intentionally denied A’s right to lift his ball. It is irrelevant that B did so in ignorance of the Rules.

The following Decision provides guidance when there are significant distances from the green involved.

22/3
Player Requests Another Player to Lift His Ball in Absence of Reasonable Possibility Ball Might Interfere or Assist
Q. A’s ball is on the putting green. B’s ball is 100 yards from the green. B requests A to lift his ball under Rule 22-2 as it might interfere with his (B’s) play. This happens several times during the round. Is such procedure permissible?
A. Rule 22 is intended to cover situations where there is a reasonable possibility that one ball might assist or interfere with another ball. If the Rule is being abused, as in this case, the Committee would be justified in penalizing B for undue delay (Rule 6-7).

Again, there is some judgement involved in the application of the rule.

[thebigdad]

20 years ago in an provincial championship, my co-competitor hit his approach to 1" from the hole. I had a 60 yard pitch from a different angle, prior to my play, a tournament official ran onto the green and marked my co-competitors ball so that I would not have a backstop. All fine by me but is this where we are headed? Mark the damn ball. Cheese, jeez.

[Bud]

Marking would protect the field against any resulting break that a shot would get from being stopped by the ball near the hole.

If other players in the field do not care to be "protected" & let it go, then who are the fans to say otherwise?

[Lee M]

I attended a USGA/PGA 4 day Rules school in 2010. One of my classmates was a PGA Tour player who was preparing to go into TV announcing. The class was discussing Rule 22 - ball that may interfere with or assist another player. This tour player said to the class that if a player made an effort to mark his ball on the green because he thought it might assist another player "nobody would speak to him again in the locker room."

[John C]

The extra '20-22 seconds' is not an accurate statement for length of time.

1. That is brisk walking pace
2. Does not account for fishing for marker
3. Does not account for time to get out of field of vision
4.. Only at that point would the player even start the pre-shot routine with practice swings

Probably saves a minute-plus.

[Allen]

In "Down the Fairway", Bobby Jones (then 25) admits galleries can be a great benefit to errant shots in a section where discussing how Tournament golf differs from recreational golf.

[Tony Smith]

Oh, please. Just the mere fact that these guys are playing in a tournament venue is an "unfair advantage," where balls are almost never lost because there are galleries line both sides of the landing area, standing shoulder to shoulder, two or three deep, and who not only act as sideboards for errant shots but also form an army of searchers on the odd occasion when a ball slips through the picket. At my course, balls are routinely lost not two or three feet off the fairway when they nestle down into the two-inch bermuda rough, and you'd have to accidentally step on it to find it. The greens at a tour venue are perfectly manicured and most fairways are in better shape and roll faster and truer than the greens at most munis. I figure the fact that you're playing on such a course, with legions of fans to protect your ball when it goes a wee bit awry, is worth two or three shots a round—more for mid-handicappers like me. All this handwringing about 'backstopping' being an "unfair advantage" is just blather.

The rules do not require a player to mark his ball prior to another player playing a shot from off the green. A player is entitled to any advantage that playing by the rules may provide him. Get over it.

[Paul]

Yeah Geoff - the 'integrity' of the players is eroding. The backstop, the bs about the liner in the sand traps and getting relief, Sergio, with the world watching asking for a ridiculous ruling out of a water hazard - and getting it!

But make it a local rule, just for the Tour and it's events because Johnny amateur, scratch or not, has little chance of using this to his advantage and certainly doesn't need another rule to hamper the enjoyment of the game.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Tony, you've clearly missed Decision 22/7. The Rules of Golf CAN and DO require a player to mark his ball when a fellow competitor is off the green if the ball is in a position to assist.

[BDF]

@Lee M just said it all. The pros from the last generation didn't give a $hit about who spoke to them in the locker room. They were in it for all the money they could get...there is so much money available now, it is like a frat party out there.

[MH]

'Collusion' is a stretch and calling the players 'cheaters' sounds twisted. The worst cheating I saw on the telecast was the player with Mickelson taking about 90 seconds to play a simple chip across the green. The pro game needs a shot clock and 1 shot penalties for each bad time. I watched the web.com championship the weekend prior and was impressed with how often Sam Saunders was ready to play as soon as it was his turn.

[Jerry M]

The current crop of younger PGA star players will certainly attract younger "golfers" however they cannot bring the diversity and interesting paths of their predecessors, that being caddy's and late blooming talents from military and lesser economic paths.... who were not only INTERESTING....but very genuine and humble people - im an older guy in early 60's somtake that into account when Insay these marvilouslybtqlented, strong players seemed manufactured or typical of ne another

[Bob Lawrence]

I assume referees are assigned to these groups in a big tournament. Why are they not stepping in to protect the field. A gentle reminder to the player leaving his ball in a position to assist another player could mean his disqualification should do the trick.