With less than a week to the start of the U.S. Open and Adam Scott insists the USGA is very much under the microscope to get it right when it comes to rulings and Erin Hills course set–up.
A year ago, the USGA was sent into damage control mode and with eventual champion Dustin Johnson delivering the USGA, as organisers of the U.S. Open, a huge favour in winning initially by four strokes but then later being penalised a stroke when he was deemed to have caused his ball to move at address early on during his final round.
A social media storm erupted, headed by past winners Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, when Johnson had to complete his final few holes under the cloud of certain penalty, and this after he was initially cleared of any penalty at the time of the incident.
It was not till December the resultant controversy forced the USGA and R & A to introduce a new rule clearing a golfer of any breach if he or she accidentally moves a ball or marker when on the putting green.
Dustin Johnson and the start of his Oakmont rules controversy
However, controversy seems to have to dogged the USGA in recent years such as in 2015 when Spieth labelled the 18th at Chambers Bay as “the dumbest hole I have ever played in my life”.
Erin Hills, and host venue this year, is already under fire given the height of the rough on the Wisconsin course so much so it led Graeme McDowell, who won seven years ago at Pebble Beach and tackled the Milwaulkee early this week, to suggest a caddy could get lost the rough is already that tall,
Scott will be entering his 15th straight U.S. Open since making his debut in 2002 at Bethpage Park and with his best result being two years ago at Chambers Bay in sharing fourth place.
“We have to get back to the rules being either black or white and end up with less grey areas”, said Scott.
“That means getting right away from leaving the game open to so many interpretations to those other sports who may be looking at us.”
Scott cited his own example of how the interpretation of the rules left a lot to be desired when competing some years ago in the WGC – HSBC Champions.
Adam Scott insisting the USGA is under the microscope at Erin Hills(Photo – PGA Tour)
“I hit it left at 18 in Shanghai and there was like a temporary fence they had erected for the spectators to stand behind but then when I get up to my ball it is right up against the fence, so I am thinking I have to get a drop”, he said.
“I say to the official am I entitled to a drop and he confirms yes.
“So, I take a drop but then cleverly my caddie moved a bit of the fence for me to play my shot from where I have taken the drop.
“I didn’t say for my caddie to move the portion of the fence but he did. So he is told to place that part of the fence he moved back to where it was, and then after the round John Paramour (Chief Rules Official, European Tour) is waiting to talk to me.
“He says ’I need to talk to you about your caddy moving part of the fence’ and we need to figure out how not to penalise you.
“I am like, ’start figuring, please’. Anyway, it must have been 40-minutes with John making telephone calls to the R & A in Scotland just to figure out how not to penalise me.
“Now, I was appreciative I did not get penalised but everything seemed to difficult, and here I am sitting around waiting to get ruling.
“For me, it was logic that my caddy should not have moved the section of fence but we put it back before I played the shot, and in the exact location.
“And it was not the first time I had a bizarre situation and the R & A had to be phoned and that was also out in China, and again at the HSBC when I was given a wrong ruling by a rules official.
“I had played my shot but then realised I had broken a rule, so I said what do I do and the official said ’No’ as I had to replay the shot which I did but then on the very next hole the official said he gave me the wrong rule and I have to penalise you a shot as you played from the wrong spot, and I had played from the wrong spot it was a two-shot penalty.
“My reaction was to say that we will speak after the round about it.
“So, it was a debacle as it took an hour to figure out how I would be penalised just the one shot and not two.”
Adam Scott playing out of the Church Pew bunker at Oakmont.
While Scott never saw eye-to-eye with former R & A CEO, Peter Dawson over anchoring of the long-handled putter, the Masters winner has always been proud of the fact he has not been the centre of any serious rules controversy.
“I have had a few brain farts like picking up my ball once or twice thinking we were still playing preferred lies but nothing really serious,” he said.
“But then you get so scared sometimes as there was a situation recently where someone out here hit a tee shot that lands on someone’s blanket they are sitting on, and you cannot move the blanket without moving the ball.
“So, why could we not just mark the spot under the blanket where the ball would have been had there not been a blanket and play it from there. That is the ruling but then we are all so worried if he is going to do it properly and that is why you are seeing so many guys seeking a referee to get a ruling for fear of breaking the rules.
“Surely between the two of us competing, we can work out the ruling ourselves and let us just get on with play. It is not he is getting any unfair advantage.
“But now the rules officials are now finding out what it is like to be out there exposed in the world of criticism and TV analysis and for some of them, that can be all too hard to swallow!”.
