New Rules of Golf Decision Limits Use of Video Review
After a controversial Ruling on the LPGA Tour with Lexi Thompson, during the ANA Championship, the USGA and R&A have established a new Decision limiting the use of video, which will take effect immediatly. According to the USGA's press release, "The two organizations have also established a working group of LPGA, PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, Ladies European Tour and PGA of America representatives to immediately begin a comprehensive review of broader video issues, including viewer call-ins, which arise in televised competitions.
The new Decision, 34-3/10 will create two standards that a Commitee can use to limit the use of video when making a decision of whether a violation of a Rule has occured. the first standard is limiting the use of video evidence when when it was clearly unreasonable to have been seen with the "naked eye". An example of this would be when a player moves a few grains of sand when taking their backswing in a bunker. the second standard address when the issue that had come up with Lexi Thompson. This establishes that a Committee can limit the use of video evidence when it is clear the player used thier "reasonable judgement" to determine a specific location when they are applying a Rule. Therefore under this new Decision if a Committee is faced with a situation such in the Lexi Thompson case they could establish she had used her "reasonable judgement" to replace her ball and they would have been able to consider that she played from a correct place.
The use of video evidence to determine whether a violation of the Rules has occured during a Golf Tournament has certainly drawn controvercy as it has been applied unlike at any other sport. Because Golf is played on a different playing field, officating is also handled differently than at any other sports. Where basketball or football the Referees and Umpires are right there to see any violations, in Golf the number of players is larger and the size of the competition fields is such that a Rules Committee can not possibly be everywhere at once to see everything that happens. Therefore Rules violations are often called in by viewers at home, such as with the Lexi Thompson incident. Because the Rules are writen in such away that once a violation has been determined by video evidence the Committee is required to act and that action has been percieved as controversial.
