Wie disqualified [bad ball drop] as Sorenstam wins Samsung in runaway

San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | October 16, 2005 | Doug Ferguson

[BigSkyFreeper]

PALM DESERT – Michelle Wie's pro debut made her look like an amateur Sunday when she was disqualified for taking a bad drop from the bushes in the third round of the Samsung World Championship.

Talk about a rude welcome less than two weeks after turning pro.

First, Annika Sorenstam blew away the field to win by eight shots, even with a double bogey on the last hole.

Then, the 16-year-old Wie no sooner had signed for a 74 to finish fourth – $53,126 – that LPGA Tour officials took her out to the seventh hole to discuss a drop she took the day before.

Nearly two hours later, she was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Because Wie dropped the ball closer to the hole – by 3 inches according to her, by about a foot according to the rules officials – she should have added two strokes to her third-round 71.

"I learned a great lesson," Wie said, her voice choking with emotion. "From now on, I'll call a rules official no matter where it is, whether its 3 inches or 100 yards. I respect that."

Wie hit a 5-wood into a Gold Lantana bush Saturday and was barely able to find it. She told her playing partner, Grace Park, she was taking an unplayable lie, dropped away from the bush, then chipped to 15 feet and made the par. It was a critical par save, and Wie steadied herself to get within five shots of the lead.

Michael Bamberger, a reporter for Sports Illustrated, told tour officials Sunday afternoon that he was concerned about the drop. Rules officials Jim Haley and Robert O. Smith reviewed tape from NBC Sports before taking Wie and caddie Greg Johnston to the seventh green after the tournament ended Sunday.

"If I had to make the ruling based on the videotape, to me it was inconclusive," Smith said.

He had Johnston and Wie show him where the ball was in the bushes, then where they dropped. They paced it off, then used string to measure the distance and determined it to be slightly closer.

"The Rules of Golf are based on facts," Smith said. "They had to tell us where it was. The fact was, the ball was closer to the hole by 12 to 15 inches."

Wie took three unplayable lies during the tournament, all without the help of rules officials. She twice asked for help, including a favorable ruling from Haley on Friday when she asked for a free drop because of bees swarming in a desert bush on the 14th hole.

She took this drop with confidence, placing tees in the ground from where her ball was in the bush, and within two club lengths of that spot. Asked by Bamberger after the third round Saturday about her drop, Wie said she used "the triangle thing to make sure that you're not closer."

"I don't feel like I cheated," Wie said Sunday. "I was honest out there. I did what I thought was right. I was pretty confident. If I did it again, I'd still do that. It looked right to me."

[Diddle E. Squat]

I heard that the little piggies in the crowd were very upset about this. They cried, "Wie, Wie, Wie!" all the way home...

[11Bush]

That happens, but only if he is allowed to get away with it. The local PGA, not the tv guys, in your area is made up of all the club pros and instructors. They really frown on any rules hanky-panky since it reflects on there profession. If you have one that does that, contact them and ask, in a polite way, if he is correct. Guarantee, he will get the word from the governing body to change his ways.

Texas has two PGA sections, north and south. You can find the contact information at pga.com under Section Info.

[11Bush]

what would you tell me if that was MY ball

There are two types of play under the Rules of Golf, Stroke and Match. Almost every foursome on the weekend is in fact playing match play, such as skins or bermuda. Under Match play, the player are expected to know the rules and if they are unsure they can figure it among themselves. So in this case, he is sorta correct.

However, the players are still required to play under the rules. Kinda confusing isn't it.

[Deagle]

Well, since that has happened for at least ten years, I don't think that I will make any waves... Thanks for the info though... It's still fun as long as everyone plays by the same rules...

[Panic in the Streets]

Dude, that was terrible.

Please apologize for that.

[11Bush]

If you are ever in Virginia look me up. We can play, and I promise to leave the Decisions on The Rules of Golf book at home. LOL

[11Bush]

Love your tagline. My favorite line is

They don't have any money, THEY ARE HIPPIES!

[Onelifetogive]

(I don't think you can really count him as a golfer though)...

Not a golfer....but, according to sworn testimony, he did have a bent shaft...

[Deagle]

Hehe...you betcha.. I did take a golf trip through there a few years ago and played at the "Homestead" (I believe that's right). Anyway, it was a very nice old course and very hilly - really enjoyed it. Might have been in W. Virginia...too long ago (anything over a couple of years and I get foggy)...old age you know... Do you know the course?

[11Bush]

That would be the Homestead in VA. I know it well. They have 3 courses, Cascades, Old Course, and Lower Cacades. The Cascades is one of the best in the country, at least according to Golf Digest, and I agree.

[Panic in the Streets]

South Park is a hoot...I just started watching it.

The General Cartman Lee episode was great.

"Don't touch me." - Stan to Bill Clinton.

[WildTurkey]

Hey, I don't think that a bent shaft had any thing to do with it

hmmm. Who would be inspecting for bent shafts?

[Deagle]

Yes...that's it! I played the Cascades (old course) and did get the information from the Golf Digest guide - 2 volumes. Carried those with me on several golf trips! Lots of great courses in your general area (to include the Carolinas)... Have played at least 20 courses in that area when I was living in Maryland. Boy, that old Homestead clubhouse was spectacular!

[11Bush]

Hate to admit that I watch more cartoons than I should at my age. Grewup on Looney Tunes and never lost the taste. My wife was shocked when I knew things like who Kim Possible was.

Kinda sad I guess.

[11Bush]

Some of the best golf in the world is in MD, VA, and NC. I've played the Old Couse in Saint Andrews and many others in Scotland over the years, but still like the home grown courses in the USA.

[Deagle]

Okay...now I'm really jealous! Nobody should be allowed to play St. Andrews if I haven't...hehe! Ah..one of these days maybe I can get on the waiting list...before old (older) age gets to me... Sounds like you've played most of your life.

[L.N. Smithee]

Meanwhile, as Wie gets all the pictures and the headlines, a true wunderkind rips up the courses with greater efficiency, but surrounded by fewer cameras: Paula Creamer.

Wie was tied for second in the Samsung tourney after the second round. Creamer finished second to champion Annika Sorenstam. Wie is a multi-millionaire now that she's signed big-buck endorsement deals before she's lifted a trophy as victor over professional players; Creamer became a millionaire the old fashioned way: She earned it. Creamer -- NOT Wie -- was the first amateur to win the LPGA Qualifying Tournament, earning her exempt status for the following season. Creamer, recently turned 19 years old and fresh out of high school (graduated in May), is currently second only to Sorenstam on the LPGA's Money List. Creamer has won two LPGA events; Wie, zippo. Yet when talk of the future of women's golf starts up, Wie's name is the first to come up, especially when there is speculation about which female will first qualify on her own merit in a major PGA event.

Click here for the dated story of the two above pictures.

I am glad that Wie has turned sixteen, since her every birthday makes me feel less dirty when I look at her. Nonetheless, the attention to her is irritating, because she hasn't earned it. Sure, she's a long driver, and breathtakingly gorgeous (not that Creamer isn't a cutie, too). But Wie hasn't yet won anything of true significance. She gets about as much attention on SportsCenter for hitting the green as Annika Sorenstam gets for actually winning. Most of all, her family and boosters act as if she deserves to be the Jackie Robinson of golf before she actually wins an LPGA event. I say, wake me up when you actually win against your own gender.

P.S.: In the looks department, if you like women who are accomplished in their sport and eye candy as well, check out Natalie Gulbis. Gulbis, 22, is working her way up the LPGA rankings and ratings. She also has one of the bestselling celebrity calendars.

[11Bush]

You don't need to get on 'a list'. Just show up and wait your turn. It is a true public course. I counted the number of courses I have played over the last 40 years and it came to over 300.

Not all of the caliber of the Old Course, includes a lot of munis and such but I have been blessed to play some of the best.

I have played Doral, Pinhusrt, Carnoustie, Prestwick, Marion, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, and many more.

I have also played plenty of mom and pop 9 holers. The best part of golf, in my opinion, is not how great the course is, but how much you enjoy the game where ever you play.