Tiger & The 2013 Masters: Completely New Meaning To "Dropping The Ball"

For something that, at first glance, seemed pretty cut and dry early Saturday morning, now has grown many new tentacles that make the debate about Tiger Woods 2013 Masters experience even more interesting.

For starters, let's take a look at the actual "rules" in question, as they are written, from the USGA's Offical Rulebook:

26-1. Relief For Ball In Water Hazard

a. Proceed under the stroke and distance provision of Rule 27-1 by playing a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or

b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped;

27-1. Stroke And Distance; Ball Out Of Bounds; Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes

a. Proceeding Under Stroke and Distance

At any time, a player may, under penalty of one stroke, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule20-5), i.e., proceed under penalty of stroke and distance.

Except as otherwise provided in the Rules, if a player makes a stroke at a ball from the spot at which the original ball was last played, he is deemed to have proceeded under penalty of stroke and distance.

33-7. Disqualification Penalty; Committee Discretion

A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted.

Any penalty less than disqualification must not be waived or modified.

If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule.

Now that we have the rules in front of us, let's take a look at the facts.  There is no debate: Tiger Woods took an illegal drop for his fifth shot on the 15th hole in the Second Round of the 2013 Masters.  That is 100% fact.  Based on that, many uneducated golf fans were calling for Tiger to be disqualified, or with that knowledge, were at least asking for Tiger to withdraw from The Masters for what they considered "cheating".

Let's get something straight before we move on.  Unknowingly taking an illegal drop in golf is not "cheating."  If that were the case, it would be safe to assume that probably 90% of casual golfers, league golfers, amateur golfers, and even professional golfers have "cheated."  I know, myself, that I've inadvertently dropped incorrectly and illegally, playing from a drop zone when I should've actually re-teed from the tee box, or taking a drop at a water hazard on the line where I believed the ball crossed, even though it may have cross 15 yards further up.  It's something that happens in just about every round.  Yes, some people (mostly casual players) will take a drop where they shouldn't because they either don't care, or actually want an advantage.  Because, in this instance, the perpetrator was Tiger Woods, the #1 ranked golfer in the world, the "Tiger haters" out there believe there is no way he was unaware of the rules, and that his drop was an intentional violation of the rules to "cheat" and gain an advantage.

Does anyone really think Tiger Woods would have openly admit to "cheating" in a post-round interview if he actually believed he had cheated?  If you answer "Yes" to that question, then you clearly have an issue with Mr. Woods, and have already made your mind up that because of his off-the-course transgressions, he is the most evil human being on the planet.

What Tiger was guilty of was confusing the rule, not ignoring it.  Had he gone to the point of entry into the water, he could have brought his ball back from that point as far as he wanted to.  Instead, he chose to hit from the original spot, and dropped his ball "2 yards further back."  Did he think he was violating the rule?  Obviously not.  If he had, he wouldn't have openly admit it after the round.  Again, if you think that Tiger Woods intentionally tried to "cheat" to gain an advantage...on national TV...in front of millions of fans watching...at the biggest golf tournament of his season...with history in the balance...you probably ought to think again.

The debate about whether Tiger should've been disqualified, or at least should've withdrawn from The Masters, doesn't have to do with the illegal drop, but actually with the signing of an illegal scorecard at the end of his round.  Taking an illegal drop does not warrant disqualification.  Again, the uneducated golf fans out there, along with the "Tiger haters", were calling for his disqualification based on the drop.  The only reason Tiger would've been disqualified was for signing his scorecard for a "6" on the 15th hole, rather than an "8."  The "golf purists" believe he should have then withdrawn for signing an incorrect scorecard, since that is historically what has happened.  But, if he didn't believe he did anything wrong, and was not informed that he had when he signed his card, how exactly can he be held accountable for signing for an incorrect score?

The Masters committee was notified of the infraction by a TV viewer.  It was not brought to their attention by one of Tiger's playing partners that day.  It was not brought to their attention by the rules official on that hole.  It was brought to their attention by a viewer.  That's a debate for another day.  The committee reviewed the footage while Woods was playing the 18th hole, and it was determined at that point that no advantage had been gained, and therefore, they opted to not bring this potential infraction to Tiger's attention.  Let me repeat that.  It was determined by the Masters rules committee that no infraction had occurred, and therefore, they did not bring it to Woods' attention prior to his signing his scorecard.  At that point, upon signing the scorecard, Tiger still had not done anything that warranted disqualification.  He had, in fact, signed a correct scorecard.

It was only after his post-round interview, where Tiger volunteered information to the contrary, stating that he took his drop two yards further back so he could hit the same shot, but get the right distance, did the Masters committee realize that he did, in fact, gain an advantage from his drop.  Based on that, the committee notified Woods on Saturday morning that they wanted to talk with him about his comments. After that discussion, it was determined that a 2-stroke penalty was the correct action to take.

Here's why, after thinking about this for a good majority of Saturday while watching the Masters, I completely, 100% agree with this decision:

The Masters committee had every opportunity to at least bring it to Woods' attention prior to his signing of the scorecard, that there may have been some question about the drop.  If, in fact, they had done this, Tiger would have no doubt explained his thought process, realized it was against the rules, and would've been assessed a 2-stroke penalty at that time, then signed his card with an "8" on the 15th hole, rather than a "6."  And, had that happened, Tiger would've been playing Saturday at -1 par, just as he ended up doing.

The Masters committee didn't disqualify Woods because they realized they were the ones that made the true mistake, not Tiger.  They utilized a new rule (Rule 33-7) which was put into effect last year, to help them correct that mistake.  Rules are changed or enacted for a variety of different reasons.  If during a World Series game, a ball gets hit into the corner and is ruled a foul ball, the umpires utilize instant replay to determine if it actually crossed in front or behind the foul pole.  If, after reviewing it, they determine that it did, in fact, cross behind the pole, and rule it a home run...should the team being awarded the home run decline the run, saying that had this been prior to instant replay, it would've been considered a foul ball?  Of course not.  In this case, the rule was changed to "protect the players" from situations just like this.

The "Tiger haters" out there believe that had this been any other player, this ruling would never have happened.  I completely disagree.  To me, what's funny about those that believe that this was done solely because it was Tiger, are failing to realize one other key factor.  The only reason this was ever an issue in the first place was because it was Tiger, and when Tiger is in contention for a tournament, especially The Masters, 90-100% of his shots are televised, scrutinized, and analyzed.  So, had this been "any other player", the odds of their drop actually being shown on TV for a viewer to call in and bring the attention of the Masters committee to it, are probably very slim.

The "Tiger haters" out there need to realize that "illegal", in this case, does not mean "cheated."  The "golf purists" out there need to realize that rules change.  And the Masters rules committee needs to realize that what occurred during the 2013 Masters is something that must never happen again.

Putting Rory's Performance Into Words

Amazing.  Historic.  Monumental.  Inspiring.  Surreal.  Magical.  Perfect.

You could use any number of words to describe Rory McIlroy's 2011 U.S. Open performance.  What we witnessed this weekend was absolutely incredible.  A 22 year-old kid from Northern Ireland, who we last saw complete one of the most heart-wrenching collapses in golf history in this year's Masters, literally making the rest of the U.S. Open look like they didn't belong.  From his first tee shot on Thursday to his final tap-in putt on the 18th hole Sunday, Rory owned every piece of the U.S. Open.  When it was all said and done Sunday, he owned just about every record the Open had to offer.

Over the years, we've come to expect the U.S. Open to make the World's golfing stars look like every day 10 handicappers.  The long rough, the lightning fast greens, and the ridiculously hard pin placements have all become staples of the second major championship of the year.  When you look at the history of the tournament, it's not unforeseen that the winner of the U.S. Open actually finish even par or worse, as was the case last year with Graeme McDowell winning the tournament at level par.  When Tiger Woods won his last U.S. Open in a playoff in 2008, he was the only player under par (along with Rocco Mediate, who lost to Tiger in the 18-hole playoff).  So, for McIlroy to do what he did this weekend was very impressive.  But, was the course too easy?

After the final round on Sunday, there were 22 players at even par or better in this year's Open.  To put this into perspective, between the years of 2003 and 2010, there were a combined 24 players at even par or better.  That seems a little strange, given the reputation of this tournament as being the "hardest test in golf."  Without McIlroy's superhuman-like performance this weekend, the competition would've been very interesting, with five players between -5 and -6.  The drama would've been incredible.  As it turned out, however, the only drama left was how low Rory's total score would go.

But should the history of the tournament, the perception of the difficulty, and the ease at which players were able to score low this week take away from what Rory McIlroy accomplished?  I have only two words to answer that question:

Absolutely not!

After falling flat on his face with a final round 80 at Augusta in April, it would've been very easy for McIlroy to cower in a corner for months.  He had the Masters won, all he needed to do was just take it easy and play safe, and he would have himself a green jacket.  But his back nine implosion left many of us to wonder if he would have the heart to finish off a major championship.  In some cases, some of us wondered if he'd ever get another shot at one.  After that disappointing finish, the kid couldn't have been more gracious.  He showed maturity beyond his years, telling reporters afterward that he'd take the positives from the weekend and learn from the negatives in order to better himself and his game.  It sounded like the right thing to say, and in many cases, something others have said, but never really, truly followed up on it.

Rory McIlroy did follow up on it.  He stepped onto the first tee at Congressional Country Club on Thursday, and went on to birdie the first hole, getting himself right back on the horse, so to speak.  He never looked back.  I heard one analogy that I thought was an interesting take, but one that seemed a little strange.  One of the radio announcers for ESPN's coverage of the event likened McIlroy's performance to Jason Vorhees of "Friday the 13th" fame.  To paraphrase, he said that McIlroy had already killed all of the campers after the first 35 holes of the tournament.  His bogey on the 36th hole was just him losing his weapon, but he'd already distanced himself from his nearest competitor that there now weren't anymore campers to kill once he got the weapon back.  Strange way of putting it, but I get it.

One of McIlroy's biggest accomplishments on Sunday was the fact that, for the time being, people are now saying "Tiger who?".  His performance this week shattered the 2000 performance of Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open.  He put so much distance between himself and Tiger's Open performance that year at Pebble Beach that people may not even reference that amazing display of golf.  What Tiger did was awesome.  What McIlroy did was god-like.

From a personal point of view, I'm amazed with this kid.  He has easily the prettiest swing in all of golf, even prettier than Tiger's swing when it was at it's most perfect point.  His personality is exactly what golf needs.  I'm really not one to talk, because when I miss shots, I get upset, sometimes even vocally, but with what happened at Augusta in April, you wouldn't have faulted him for throwing a club or dropping a curse.  But...he didn't.  He failed with such class and dignity that it made everyone take notice.  It's hard not to like a guy like that.  He's humble and honest, both refreshing characteristics to see from someone in that kind of spotlight.  Most importantly though, the kid has fun!  You can see it in his eyes and in his body language.  He just enjoys playing the game of golf, and he's damn good at it.

So, to put a little bow on this whole amazing display, I think we're all witnessing the start of something brilliant.  We just witnessed the golf coming-out party of one of the best, if not the best, young player in the game.  His talent is only overshadowed by his potential...both of which are huge!  I'm hoping we get to see this kid more and more, because he's exactly what golf needs right now!

Isn't Guilt Just Assumed Now?

In this day and age, success comes with a certain level of scrutiny.  You can never be "that good" at something that it defies logic.  We used to just turn a blind eye toward what we thought was great success, even though there was part of us that figured it had to have come at a price.

Once again, we have accusations being thrown out that Lance Armstrong, the greatest cycling champion in history, had taken a performance-enhancing substance to win his seven Tour de France titles.  This isn't anything new, as we've been hearing these claims for the past several years, since performance-enhancing drugs became so prevalent in the professional sports world.  The unfortunate nature of the claims, however, is that now, we're skeptical of everything.  There isn't a record or performance in sports that we celebrate where the question doesn't cross our minds: Was he/she on something?

Back in 2002, when San Diego Padres third baseman Ken Caminiti first admit to using steroids during his career, including during the season which he had won the National League MVP, it was thought that the use of steroids was the rare exception.  During an interview with Jim Rome on his radio show, Caminiti actually threw out a number when asked how many Major League Baseball players were using steroids.  That number was 75%.  At the time, most people hearing this shrugged it off as a disgruntled former player making insane accusations to make a name for himself and make his "sports infidelity" look like it wasn't so bad.  What that did, however, was open the flood gates to the sports world.

In 2002, there was no idea of "performance-enhancing drugs."  It was just "steroids".  One blanket term that everyone used to explain cheaters.  If you were using something, it was steroids.  HGH (human growth hormone) was a term that hadn't hit the mainstream yet.  We all believed that what we were witnessing, wether it be the shattering of the single-season home run record by Mark McGuire in 1998, to Armstrong winning three consecutive Tour de France races between 1999 and 2001, was a clean performance, because we really had no grounds to think otherwise.  Sure, there had been other cyclists in history that had "doped", and that seemed to be the most common sport in which that term was used, but we usually reserved the steroids discussion for the Olympics, which had seen many different athletes lose a medal for that level of cheating.

Now, many people will credit Jose Canseco for bringing steroids and performance-enhancing drugs to the forefront of everyone's minds with his first book, "Juiced", but you can't discount Caminiti's initial claim that so many professional baseball players were using a form of steroids to get ahead.  What seemed insane to think back then, has now turned into common place to think now.  We look at everything differently now.  The fact that Armstrong has won seven Tour de France races after coming back from cancer was a great story about six years ago, but now, he had to have had help, right?  The idea that baseball popularity soared as a result of the great home run chase between McGuire and Sammy Sosa during the summer of 1998 was one of the great stories in sports, but now, neither "great" player will probably end up in baseball's Hall of Fame.  The thought that Tiger Woods would become the greatest golfer in the history of the game by eclipsing Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major championships just by hard work, practice, and a dedication to his game was thought to be the surest thing in sports.  Now, many people doubt that his recent decline came from the marital issues he had in 2009 as a result of his infidelities, but more of a possibility that maybe, he stopped using something to train.  And the fact that anything good since that time, whether it be Tiger Woods' pursuit of golf immortality, or any Major League Baseball player reaching the 50 home run plateau again, is called into question, shows how much of a game changer that first accusation of steroid use became.

In a country where innocence was to always be proven before guilt, the sports world has unfortunately fallen into a place where the reverse is the accepted practice.  If you've done something good, you obviously had help.  It's up to you, the player or athlete, to prove to us, the public, that what you've accomplished was of your own accord, and that nothing along the path of your success included the words, steroids, doping, or performance-enhancement.  Unfortunately, that notion has taken a lot of fun out of being a fan.  We just never know what to believe anymore.

Is Tiger Woods done?

We all know Tiger's story, so there's no reason to re-hash any of the infidelity stuff.  The most dominant golfer in the world, at least through 2008, is at his lowest professional point.  He won his last major championship at the 2008 U.S. Open, and has only won a total of six times since that victory.  That's six tournament wins since June 16th, 2008.  For a player that has averaged a shade over five victories a season since turning professional back in 1996, not winning a tournament in 21 months is a bit alarming.

Is he done?  That's the question on every golf fan's mind.  Can Tiger get back to where he used to be?  He seemed to put himself back into the conversation with a fourth place showing at this year's Masters.  But, waking up this morning, checking the scores of the first round of the Players Championship, Tiger finds himself four over par through four holes.  Not a great start.  Maybe he was lucky to finish fourth at the Masters.  It's possible.

There are a lot of critics out there who want Tiger to be done.  They want him to never win another tournament.  There are still some folks out there who believe that the sport of golf is "better" when he's not winning.  For me personally, golf isn't the same without that "Tiger Factor."  There was a time you could turn any tournament on that Tiger was playing in, and his name would be somewhere on the first page of the leader board.  He may not win the event, but there was a "buzz" you could sense.  Other players felt it.  Fans at the event felt it.  Those watching at home could even feel it.  There was always this little nervous tension wondering if Tiger would win it, or wondering how close he would get to it.  Right now, even though I'm a fan of golf, both playing the game and watching it as well, it's difficult for me to be as interested in it as I once was.

What Tiger needs right now is to do what so many have done in the game of golf, and that's just swallow your pride and ask for help.  Tiger's problem is that he thinks he has the answer.  He fired his swing coach, Hank Haney, choosing to go with the lesser known Sean Foley.  Since that change, the results have been terrible.  Tiger is now struggling with the problem many of us have with the game, a little thing called "inconsistency."  It would be such an easy game if we could just put the same swing on the ball every time and hit it how we want to, right?  But, if you take the swing out of it, I'll tell you exactly where Tiger is losing his game, and exactly why he hasn't won.  He's become mortal with a putter in his hand.  You don't see the same Tiger on the greens as you used to.  He's clearly not confident standing over a 10 foot putt like he used to be.  Tiger has always sprayed drives all over the place.  Heck, some of the best highlights we have of Tiger Woods are these miraculous shots he hits around or through trees, out of fairway bunkers, or from other holes for that matter.  He's made his career out of being able to give himself a chance after those mistakes.  Now, the issue is sinking the putt to make all of those great shots worth it.  That's what he's not doing anymore.  He's lost his concentration on the green.

I happen to be one of those people who roots for Tiger to win.  I want to see Tiger take down Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors.  Right now, Tiger stands at 14 and is within range.  At the age of only 35, he's still in the prime of his career.  The PGA isn't the same without a dominant Tiger Woods.  Sure, it's led to a "youth movement" and given us a bunch of great, young, talented players to watch and root for, but it's still not the same.  Maybe the light bulb will go on again for Tiger, and we can get that buzz back as we watch him chase down Jack's record.  I, for one, hope it happens sooner rather than later.