[Wyatt's Torch]

Once again, the Rules Committee said that a DQ was not possible because THEY MADE A RULING DURING THE ROUND THAT THERE WAS NO RULES VIOLATION. Not because he didn’t know the rule. They explicitly said that if he didn’t know the rule that would not protect him. Because they made a ruling DURING THE ROUND then, according to everyone involved, he could not have signed an incorrect scorecard. Furthermore, if they had made the correct ruling during the round he would have received the exact same penalty he received. A two stroke penalty under 20-5 hitting a ball from the wrong spot.

[NittanyLion]

I don't feel real strongly either way, but I'm also not sure that ruling would be applicable in other situations. Suppose there was a question about whether or not a competitor had grounded his club in a hazard, the rules committee reviewed the tape and concluded he hadn't, but then after signing the scorecard the golfer stated in fact they did ground the club, perhaps because they didn't realize they were in a hazard (recall Dustin Johnson).

Because the rules forbidding grounding your club in a hazard are so well-known and clearcut I suspect there would be a DQ. I think what the committee is really saying in this case is that the particular rule that was broken is a bit legalistic and as a result they're willing to give a competitor a pass if they followed the intent rather than the letter of the law. Okay by me, but it feels like more of an emotion-based rather than logic-based decision.