Tiger woods david eger, The "television viewer" who spotted Tiger Woods' illegal drop in the second round of the Masters, throwing the tournament into controversy, was hardly a casual spectator. According to Golf.com, the person who called in the rules violation that cost Woods a two-shot penalty - and calls from some for his withdrawal - was Champions tour golfer David Eger.
Woods' now-famous drop on the 15th hole at 6:33 p.m. on that Friday was seen by millions on ESPN, but only Eger got a message to tournament competition committee chairman Fred Ridley about the rules violation.
Before joining the senior tour, Eger was a tournament director with both the PGA Tour and the USGA and is considered one of the most experienced tournament officials in U.S. golf and an expert on the rules.
Eger told Michael Bamberger of Golf.com that he was causally watching the Friday round of the Masters in his Florida home when he noticed that Woods had dropped a shot since he had last seen his score. Eger hit the rewind button and watched Woods on the 15th hole. He saw Woods play his third shot, the one that famously hit the fiberglass flagstick and caromed into the water, then watched Woods take his drop.
"I could see there was a divot - not a divot, a divot hole - when he played the shot the second time that was not there the first time," Eger told Bamberger. "I played it again and again. I could see that the fairway was spotless the first time he played the shot and there was that divot hole, maybe three or four feet in front of where he played after the drop."
According to the rules of golf, a player, when competing under rule 26-1-a, as Woods was, is required to drop "as nearly as possible" to the ball's previous position. If the golfer takes a divot, then the exact location is known. And Woods took a divot on the shot that found the water. The procedure then is to drop immediately behind the divot. The intention of the rule is to have the golfer play the exact same shot again. Woods did not do that.
Eger said he knew immediately there had been a possible rules violation. He also knew he had to act quickly so that Woods would not sign an incorrect scorecard, which almost always leads to disqualification. Eger said he did not have a phone number for Ridley, but called Mickey Bradley, a veteran PGA Tour official who he knew was working the Masters. Bradley had already left the grounds.
"I was driving on Washington Road and I saw that David was calling, so I pulled over to the side," said Bradley, according to the report.Eger then sent Bradley a text message as well, and Bradley called Ridley and forwarded him the text.
Woods signed his scorecard and conducted a series of interviews and during his post-round Friday interview with Tom Rinaldi of ESPN that Woods volunteered that he went "two yards" farther back when he made his drop on 15, to play a slightly different shot the second time.
At 7:30 p.m., 10 minutes after Woods completed his round, Ridley responded by text to Bradley, according to Bamberger. Regarding Eger's estimate of three to four feet, Ridley wrote that Woods "was closer than that." To look at it closer, he wrote, would be "splitting hairs." Ridley determined that Woods had done nothing wrong, so there was no point in asking him about the drop.
At 10:15 Friday night, Ridley was informed by Jim Nantz of Woods' comments to ESPN. Meanwhile, David Feherty described Woods' options on CBS's recap show Friday night, and questioned whether the drop was made correctly. Ridley then contacted Woods's agent, Mark Steinberg, and Steinberg forwarded Ridley's message to Woods, who met with Ridley on Saturday morning. At that time, Woods was assessed the two-shot penalty.
9 years ago
0 comments:
Post a Comment