Addressing this issue immediately is good for the game of golf!

After the crazy scenario that happened to LPGA Lexi Thompson during the final round of the ANA Inspiration (she got hit with a 4 stroke penalty! when a TV viewer called in to alert officials to an infraction in where she placed her ball marker a full day before!!! – CRAZY!)  – New rules have been instituted by the USGA and R&A…. Decision 34-3/10. This goes into effect immediately!

Here’s the gist of the new rule (thanks to Golf.com)

Under the new standards, a tournament committee could opt to let certain hard-to-detect infractions slide (like a player dislodging grains of sand during a backswing in a bunker, or taking an improper drop) even in the face of video evidence, so long as the player is deemed to have done what could reasonably have been expected to abide by the rules.

Too late for Lexi… but better late than never. It’s about time this issue was addressed.

What do you think? Good rule change? Add your comment in the space below and share this on FB and Twitter.