Op-ed: Excuse me USGA, but are you purposely sabotaging golfers’ mental games?

Golf enthusiasts- have your popcorn and blankets ready as the most recent LPGA and USGA rules debacle unfolds, staring Lexi Thompson’s penalty. The best part is it’s far from over.

Many argue the penalty cost Thompson her second major championship and just under $150,000 in cash earnings, while some continue to observe videos of the teary-eyed Thompson watching 2017 ANA Inspiration champion So Yeon Ryu’s first time leap into Poppies Pond.

Yet, this disheartening dispute should not center on Thompson’s robbed salary nor illustrate her close call in major rankings in the LPGA. This isn’t even about her deprived throne, also known as the annual tradition in women’s golf that awards the annual champ her palatial white robe.

Thompson’s called-in ruling is the eye of the storm that has brewed for over a year now: the USGA and R&A continue to make hazardous decisions regarding the rules of the game, and golfers (ranging from Augusta National champions to local park district connoisseurs) have had enough.

These outlandish rule infractions damage the integrity of the game, the tour players, and the USGA’s very own governing rules committee.

Sue Witters, LPGA tour rules official, approached Thompson on the 13^th tee in Sunday’s final round, but the ball replacement infraction took place an entire day prior to Witter’s ruling. Thompson signed her score card at the end of Saturday’s round and walked off the course to mentally secure the top spot on the leaderboard for Sunday.

Social media and golfers praise Thompson’s answer to the penalty after she made a triple birdie comeback in the last six holes. But it is no wonder Ryu landed the top purse finisher in the head to head playoff- Thompson’s mind defeated itself the second Witters opened her mouth.

2016 majors shared similar ruling catastrophes. The U.S. Women's Open went to a three-hole aggregate playoff between Anna Nordqvist and Brittany Lang at CordeValle, and Nordqvist lost, arguably due to the USGA’s poor timing and lack of moral conduct. 

Both players believed themselves even-par after the first two holes, but as the two walked up the 18^th, FOX broadcast casted a high-def video review of Nordqvist’s penalty for accidently grounding her club in a fairway sand bunker on the 17^th hole, third shot.

Nordqvist would be assessed a two-stroke penalty for violating rule 13-4b, but she was unaware until after she executed a critical third shot (a gap wedge from 112 yards out) into the green on the 18^th and final hole.

FOX announcer and retired PGA tour champion, Paul Azinger, even attempted to flag a USGA rules official to stop play before Nordqvist hit her third shot, but to no avail.

Just when viewers thought they saw it all, the rules committee notified Lang of her opponent’s penalty before she planned her own approach shot, ultimately giving Lang an unfair advantage of green placement and scoring. Lang went on to win the 2016 major.

The USGA’s mission statement claims they “promote and conserve the true spirit of the game as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions,” and they “serve the game most visibly through the conduct of national championships.”

Where in the history of golf is it ok to give an opponent in a major championship playoff hole an unfair advantage? Add the fact that Nordqvist was only a minutes away from clenching a second major championship, and it is a miracle she didn’t have a mental breakdown before signing the final scorecard.

Don’t forget Dustin Johnson’s ruling fiasco in the final round on the 5^th green at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, just three weeks before Nordqvist’s tragedy. Johnson’s golf ball moved after his putter grounded the green, causing chaos and confusion for the next several months in the golf world. But Johnson isn’t to blame- the USGA is.

Observing the ball move, Johnson immediately asked an official if he needed to assess himself a penalty. The immediate answer? No. The answer on the 12^th green? Maybe. The final answer once Johnson made a close birdie putt on hole 18 to guarantee his first major championship? Yes, one stroke.

According to Golf Digest, the penalty fortunately did not affect his final score and his first major win, but how did it affect his confidence?

Instead of spending time celebrating his career milestone after sinking the final putt, Johnson spent the first 30 minutes reviewing clips before a final decision was made as to who the new champion was.

On March 1 the USGA released a set of 24 major proposed changes to the rules of golf, which are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2019. Reduction of ball movement penalties, relaxed bunker rules, and an emphasis on player integrity and judgement all fall into the projected list.

However, what ways has the USGA and R&A planned to prevent strained emotional rulings like Thompson, Johnson or Nordqvist’s until 2019?

Here’s hoping the USGA takes the time to revise their mission statement and check for proper alignment on and off the course.