26.01 Stivbente regler og strenge straffer: Endelig tas dette opp på høyeste
hold
Som Golfsiden har vært inne på flere ganger blir det for dumt at man skal kunne
diskvalifiseres fra en turnering når man etter beste skjønn har gjort sitt beste
for å følge reglene. Men så blir man avslørt av en fjernsynsseer etter at
scorekortet er signert - diskvalifikasjon! Nå har sjefen på PGA Tour'en endelig
tatt saken opp og vil se på alternativer. På høy tid!
Hendelsene med Camilo Villegas (flyttet på en torv før ballen var kommet til
ro) og Padraig Harrington (ballen la seg 1,3 millimeter bortenfor der
hvor han markerte etter at han kom borti ballen og selv mente at den kom tilbake
på samme sted) hadde etter svært manges mening alt for brutale straffer.
Dette blir omtrent slik de private parkeringsselskapene opererer her i Norge
hvor disse klarer å ilegge straffegebyr for de underligste og mest uskyldige
hendelser på landets parkeringsplasser. Uten sammenligning for øvrig.
I artikkelen som er gjengitt under, spørres det: "But did this ultimate
penalty fit the crime?"
Svaret er enkelt for de fleste; definitivt ikke. Slike straffer vil mange mene
nærmest bringer golfsporten i vanry eller blir latterliggjort når vi
sammenligner på straffeutmålingen i andre idretter og samfunnet for øvrig.
Golfsiden har spådd at det snart kommer endringer på dette området. Reglene er
kanskje greie nok, men håndtering og straffeutmåling har på ingen måte stått i
forhold til forbrytelsen og sunn fornuft.
Det understrekes at Golfsiden mener at reglene selvsagt skal følges. Men det er
altså reglene og den tilhørende straffeutmålingen som er urimelige. Vi har sett
massevis av endringer i golfreglene opp gjennom årene. Reglene er dynamiske og
må følge med i utviklingen i tiden - som ellers i samfunnet hvor vi får stadig
nye regler og lovendringer.
Det er glimrende at Tim Finchem nå tar tak i dette. I intervjuet nederst på
siden sier han blant annet: "There is a lot of discomfort in all this."
Følgende artikkel står å lese på PGA Tour'ens hjemmesider. Se også intervjuet
nederst på siden med Tim Finchem på 25 minutter hvor han blant annet tar opp
temaet (etter ca. 8 minutter):
Finchem favors rules discussion
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Count PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem among those concerned
by the recent spate of disqualifications that have happened the day after TV
viewers reported rules violations.
In each case, the violation was inadvertent — Camilo Villegas brushing away a
piece of dirt as his ball rolled back down the slope beside the green; Padraig
Harrington’s ball moving so slightly after he picked up his marker that the
infraction was only visible on high-definition TV.
The violations were reported after the broadcast and in each case, the player
was disqualified from the tournament. But did this ultimate penalty fit the
crime? Had the rules violation been uncovered before the player signed his
scorecard, it would have been a two-shot penalty.
Finchem said Tuesday at the Farmers Insurance Open that he would like to see a
thorough discussion of the issue as it relates to the penalty with golf’s
governing bodies, the USGA and Royal & Ancient.
The commissioner said that the TOUR raised the issue with the USGA several years
ago and has rearticulated its concern in light of recent events. He said he’s
spoken to representatives of the European Tour several times over the last few
weeks and they feel similarly.
Finchem said he is meeting with the USGA Executive Committee next week.
"I hope to have a conversation with them at that point in time, and I would hope
that we could have a global conversation about the rule and certainly the
penalty that is attached to it, because it obviously troubles a lot of people in
terms of how it shakes out from time to time,’ he said.
What worries him the most is the severity of the penalty. Harrington was one
shot off the lead after the first round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship but
was DQ’ed when the infraction was brought to his attention prior to his tee time
in the second round.
"I think the suggestion has been made in the past that perhaps it would be
adequate to have an additional two-shot penalty to a player who had no knowledge
that he violated a rule, and the tournament was over or the round was over, the
scorecard was signed, and he is disqualified,” Finchem said.
"But there are other variations. I just think that there’s a lot of discomfort
with this whole situation and questions raised. I don’t want to assume what our
position would be on any piece of it. All I’m saying at this point is we ought
to have an intelligent, thorough discussion of what we have today and what
options might be available to us."
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