Lexi Thompson Rules Controversy Defines LPGA Major

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

LEXI THOMPSON finished the season's first women's major in tears after suffering a heartbreaking retrospective four-shot penalty which cost her a famous victory.

Thompson went into the final round of the ANA Inspiration with a two-shot lead and was coasting towards victory until she got to the 12th green.

It turned out that a television viewer had spotted something that had happened on the 17th hole during the third round. Video showed Thompson marking her ball before attempting a short putt. In the replay, Thompson’s coin was not visible when she marked her ball, but it was when she placed the ball back on the green, meaning she had replaced the ball in the wrong place.

Not for the first time in a leading professional tournament, officials decided to impose a penalty, and it turned out to be very costly for the 22-year-old American. They gave here a two-stroke penalty for playing from the wrong place, plus an additional two strokes for signing an incorrect scorecard after the third round.

Dan Maselli, manager of rules and competition for the LPGA, said othe LPGA was not aware of the infraction until a viewer emailed the tour when the final group was on the 7th hole Sunday. They looked at TV replays before telling Thompson about the decision they had reached. It meant that Thompson went from leading the tournament to falling two strokes off the lead at 12 under.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee8vQ2DSkY4

"One of the unfortunate things about live professional golf and live television is people do see things and I wish they would speak up more quickly because then the additional two-point penalty, she wouldn’t have occurred that if we could have gotten this (taken care of) during her round (Saturday)," Maselli said.

Thompson called the ruling “ridiculous” and fought back tears on the 13th tee as she prepared to hit her drive.  Unbelievably, she birdied the hole and then picked up another shot at the 18th to get to 14 under and force a playoff with So Yeon Ryu. Ryu birdied the first playoff hole to beat Thompson.

Thompson was still bitterly upset when interviewed afterwards. "My fans were fantastic when they realised what had happened," she said. "It was entirely down to the support I got from them that I was able to hang in there. Obviously, the whole thing was an accident. I had no idea that I had replaced my ball in the wrong place."

She gained no advantage and it seems absolutely ludicrous that, yet again, a TV viewer should affect the outcome of a major golf tournament. This is an issue that must be addressed - and soon.