Rules Delay at P.G.A. Championship Sinks Sport Into Quagmire Yet Again

While Jordan was hashing out the situation with the rules officials, play was going on at the 17 other holes. Indeed, even at the hole in question, no. 7, a par 4, there was probably a group up on the green.

So you golf journalists didn't have to cover this transaction if you felt it took too long or was boring.

So let's be honest here. It was because Spieth was involved that the cameras stayed fixed.

If it were some poor shlub - certain to miss the cut - we would not be hearing about this and all the hand wringing relating to it.

CBS/TNT should have cut to action on the course.

Slowed the game down? How could one tell? Grass grow while they waited?

Golf as religion. Rules must be obeyed, especially during golf's high holy days which the bishops and true believers refer to as "The Majors." Augusta National is the Vatican. Bobby Jones is Jesus Christ, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer but not Tiger Woods are the Apostles...it's all taken so so seriously as to be comical. And the high priests of golf wonder why participation is dropping, the same concern of organized religion.

Damn rules! I say, Get rid of them all! Let the players play!

' sparkle and star power ' Bill.
What about Jason Day's 65?
He is after all the world number one.

6 hours of golf = 4 hours of play + 2 hours trying to figure the rules.

Rule Books are PESKY?? C'mon, Mr. Bill......

Curtis Strange articulated this on tv several years ago. "The rules are there to help you." Any good golfer that has been in competition knows this to be true....just sayin'.....

Many, if not most, of these problems could be solved if golf rules were changed to simply play the ball where it lies. The golfer is the one who put it there, so from there is where he should shoot.

The Rules of Golf book can fit in one's pocket...the Book of Decisions addressing and affecting those seemingly simple rules is almost dictionary sized, and only reading for the minutiae minded.

Glad the rules guy got it right, but this kind of 'decision'/advice should not take the time it does. Pro golf, esp on TV, is becoming slice & dice and consumed by all the viewers on the back row of the Peanut Gallery, imo.

It is already an interminable game of 4+ hrs for twosomes/threesomes, on TV. We play foursomes in 3:30, but we don't have the 'world changing' shots to deal with. ;)

One of the great pleasures of the post-sporting event media moment is to watch someone like Greg Popovich or Bill Belichick destroy the press over silly, repetitive, or unnecessary questions.

Spieth showed admirable restraint yesterday, but I would have preferred a simple dismissive stare worthy of Pop or Bill.

He's young, hopefully he'll learn that sometimes civility is counterproductive, especially when dealing with the fourth estate.

And may he learn to ignore social media altogether. In fact, I wish that one for all of us.

You're welcome.

"This happened because social media was agog with intimations that Spieth’s 67 was not going to stand up"

Why on Earth does anyone pay attention to what's going on in social media? Who cares if they're "agog" or erupting about something? Social media is like a chimpanzee cage at the zoo, everyone throwing poop at each other and generally acting like children.

I watched the entire situation with Spieth and the rules official. While it was tedious I thought it was handled well.

With everyone watching on TV and the nonsense of social media is it any wonder the rules officials and players take pains to be excruciatingly correct?

A civilized discussion between player and official over one of many unique situations that require a thoughtful analysis and application of the rules . That's a good thing. And, That's golf. Nothing here to be critical about.

Why are these comparatively minor rules deliberations the object of such intense interest and discussion? Because they provide a rare and welcome respite from the tedium of an unwatchable sport.

"This happened because social media was agog with intimations...." Well, there's the problem. Social media more and more manages to muddy the waters about so many things. Just because people can use these outlets to comment doesn't mean they know a darn thing about golf, or anything else. We'd all be better off if these low information types would put a sock in it.

I would much rather have a careful discussion and explanation of the rules that takes 10 minutes but results in a clear understanding, than any of the messes we've seen too often this year.

Kudos to the PGA for including complete coverage on their live stream.

The entire exchange between Spieth and the rules official, Brad Gregory, was shown on the PGA's live stream, and what struck me was how Gregory, while carefully applying the rules, seemed anxious that Spieth should have the best possible relief, even referring to himself and Spieth as "we," as in something like: "if we drop here then we still have a stance in the water." I don't fault Gregory for this but had to chuckle at the difference between the tone of an official ruling in golf and in, say, baseball. Thanks to the PGA for showing the ruling in its entirety.

Momentum challenge for sure

I watched this play out......

It took longer than I (or anyone) would've liked, but was handled carefully and clearly. Sticklish?--yes, but that caution was warranted there should have been no after the fact controversy. The fact that there was does not reflect badly on golf and its admittedly byzantine rules, but rather the built-in idiocy of social media.