IT was indeed an exciting moment in golf history when Rory McIlroy, one of the world’s Top 3, won the recent Professional Golfers’ Association Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, in a come-from-behind fashion.
To win, McIlroy scored an eagle on the 16th to tie for the lead, then outdueled Americans Ryan Moore and David Chappel in the playoff. He pocketed $1.5 million on top of $10 million as FedEx champ.
With his $11.5-million winnings in four days, that is an average of $2.875 million daily earnings!
Hey, guys, aren’t we in the wrong racket?
Anyways, I salute Rory the Irish for that big win on American soil, beating two great American players in the process!
Okay, this is a rules column so I would like to share with you a keen observation I saw on TV between Ryan Moore and David Chappel.
In one of the playoff holes, Chappel’s ball was picked up by a spectator and Moore’s ball landed on a sprinkler head.
Both Moore and Chappel are entitled to free relief.
In the case of Chappel, a spectator is an outside agency so Chappel was allowed free relief under Rule 18-1 (by an outside agency).
Moore had free relief, too, because a sprinkler head is an immovable obstruction and per definition of obstruction under the rules, it is an artificial object as it was permanently placed and constructed on the golf course. So under Rule 24-2a (interference by an immovable obstruction) Moore got his free drop.
But here is the catch.
Both placed their balls and not dropped them. Dropping the ball might have resulted in their balls either landing in bad lies or nearer to the hole.
They skipped going through the motions. They were smart for they know their rules. American golfers can only turn pro after knowing their rules to the letter while still being an amateur.
Lesson here? If you know your rules, you can use them to your advantage.
TEED BITS: Boy, this piece was a struggle as I did it at the wee hours of the morning at Hotel Gracery in Shinjuku area in Tokyo. I was about to give up but as my mentor and rules partner Al S. Mendoza would always tell me, “Skipping writing your column can become a habit. Before you know it, you have totally quit doing it.” Thank you, Al, for being such a dear buddy …Well, anyways, I am here in Tokyo on a pleasure trip with my “bitter” half of 50 years Mrs. Pat Manaois—Ayson and my daughter Joy Ayson—Sison, her husband Bell and their two pogi boys, 9-year-old Sebastian “Sean” and 5-year-old Sammie. For this trip, I wish to thank Ms. Eya Dumol and PAL President JJ Bautista for accommodating us at the Mabuhay Lounge and PAL Check-in counter. As always, Mabuhay ang Philippine Airlines, Asia’s oldest and best at 75!..Wow! What a Campi Golf Cup! Imagine every participant receiving a minimum prize of P10k broken into P5k Mizuno gift check upon registration, plus another P5k if you don’t win any of the raffle prizes. I told Danny “Sir John” Isla, the president of Lexus Manila, after he said to me during the Awards Ceremonies, “Magdilang anghel ka sana, Sir John,“ when he predicted that your humble Rulesman will win a personal ref. I did! Praise God! Thanks to Campi for the invite through my dear neighbor ASM!
Happy golfing and God bless!