You’re going to hear a lot of bad stuff about golf rules this week. You’ll hear about the proverbial “guy in Des Moines” calling his TV station to claim a player has committed a golf sin, and why other players – with no cameras around – get away with murder.
But here’s the simple truth about what Dustin Johnson did on the 72nd hole that might have cost him the PGA title. He screwed up.
If you are a golfer, even a 20 handicap, you know, under any circumstances, not to GROUND YOUR CLUB IN THE SAND.
If you are a PGA Tour player, there is no excuse. And if there is any question about a rule, you can call over an official and get clarification.
Judging from Johnson’s comments afterward, it didn’t even occur to him that he was in a bunker. But it should have. His ball was sitting in sand and there are more than 1200 bunkers at Whistling Straits.
Golf rules are there for a reason – so there is as little gray area as possible. If you introduce intent into the equation, it makes it too easy to skirt the rules.
When I saw Johnson drop his club into the sand on his way to addressing his ball, I had the thought that I’m sure many other golfers had – “Oh, my God, what is he doing?”
