Rules Are For Changing

‘IT is hard to know who to feel most sorry for at the end of a magnificent Open golf championship – Thomas Bjorn or Mark Roe.

‘What about swapping wives?’

Standing on the 15th tee, Bjorn had the famous claret jug in his grasp only to let it slip by dropping four shots in three holes.

How he must wish this morning that he could be back on the 16th tee and could play those closing holes again!

But at least Bjorn lost his chance of winning on the golf course – Roe lost what chance he had after a freak infringement of the rules.

The 40-year-old would have started the final round only two shots off the lead.

It is highly unlikely that he would have won (although no more unlikely than eventual winner Ben Curtis), but he was certainly deprived of an experience he will probably never have again.

That said, the reaction in many parts has been absurd and completely out of proportion with talk of players’ boycotts and the like.

The fact remains that both Roe and Jesper Parnevik broke the rules in failing to swap cards – and both players accepted that that was the case.

Golf depends on players observing the rules – they both knew the rules and they both knew the penalties for transgression.

You cannot change the rules midway through a tournament – but you can change them afterwards.

And it is surely now time to move away from the antiquated system whereby professional golfers are responsible for their own and their partner’s score.

Too many incidents like the one on Saturday have happened and in the longer term they undermine the credibility of the game.

Padraig Harrington was disqualified from the 2001 Benson & Hedges while leading the tournament by five shots simply because he had failed to sign his first-round card.

There was no question of any advantage being sought or any advantage being gained; it was quite simply a clerical error. As it was with Roe and Parnevik.

It is akin to a footballer having a goal disallowed because the name on the back of his shirt was spelt wrong.

And you can imagine how that would go down in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

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Posted: 21st, July 2003 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink