August 25 -- Phil Mickelson blasted PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem for disqualifying Jim Furyk from this week’s Barclay’s golf tourney because the latter missed his pro-am tee time.
“The rule itself applies to only half the field,” Mickelson, the world’s No. 2 golfer, told reporters Wednesday afternoon, prior to Thursday’s start of the FedEx Cup race. “So, if you have a rule that does not apply to everybody because not everyone plays in the pro-am, you cannot have it affect the competition.
Ridiculous. “I cannot disagree with it more,” continued Mickelson, who noted he had spoken with Finchem about the situation. “I have no idea how the commissioner let this rule go through. It's ridiculous.”
A tour official was uncompromising.
Hands are tied. “A commitment to play in the tournament is a commitment to play in the pro-am,” Slugger White, rules and competitions VP said in a statement. “It is unfortunate for Jim. It is unfortunate for the tournament. He is a fan favorite and everybody likes him. He is a really good guy, but my hands are tied. I am sure he will recover quite nicely next week and jump right in there again.”
At least this is not another issue involving the Rules of Golf, which have taken a beating of late after Dustin Johnson’s bunker blowout and Juli Inkster’s doughnut-rule DQ. Instead, it’s about PGA Tour regs, adopted in 2004 to prevent players from skipping the dreaded pro-ams, for which deep-pocketed hackers cough up big bucks to rub elbows with their heroes.
Tour rules state that a player who is truant for his pro-am tee time incurs a DQ for that week’s tourney, with the only exceptions for injuries or family emergencies. Only half the field participates in a particular week’s pro-am; in the case of The Barclays, 54 of the 122 golfers played the pro-am.
Guilty conscience? Perhaps Mickelson’s reaction -- which was far more heated than Furyk’s -- was a case of a guilty conscience. Tour players were up in arms when the tour allowed Mickelson to play the actual tournament after missing a pro-am in 2007.
Mickelson addressed that at Wednesday’s presser, saying his plane had been grounded due to bad weather and flooded roads made driving impossible. Still, according to reports from way back then, Mickelson pretty much blew off the pro-am and received no punishment, prompting lesser players to complain about favorable treatment.
What, no wake-up call? In Wednesday’s case, Furyk, third in FedEx Cup points, was late for his 7:30 a.m. tee time at New Jersey’s Ridgewood Country Club because he overslept when the alarm on his cell phone did not sound. He woke up at 7:23 and “tore out of there,” but there was no way to get to the 11th tee in time for the shotgun start, Furyk said later.
Furyk related how he faced a similar situation at Bay Hill Club & Lodge several years ago. At the time the alternate played for two hole and “then I just stepped in and played the rest of the way,” Furyk said. “In 17 years, twice.”
Those darn rules. But that was then, and this is now. As Furyk himself acknowledged, “Rules are rules.”
The disappointed Furyk did voice several regrets, including the potential impact on his chances of winning the FedEx Cup. He’s already eligible for next week’s Deutsche Bank Championship and the following BMW Championship. Missing The Barclays, however, makes it more difficult to make it to the finals and the FedEx Cup’s $10 million payoff.
The tour resets the points prior to the Tour Championship grand finale, ensuring only the top five golfers clear shots at the title. Other players can win, but it’s definitely a steeper climb.
End of the deal. “No matter what tournament it was, I’d be upset,” Furyk said. “But I’m more upset because it is this one. We are here at the end of the deal.”
It was a big news day off the course, what with Furyk’s DQ and Tiger Woods’ reactions to his ex-wife’s People magazine tell-(almost) all. Read how Elin Nordegren dished the dirt with People in her first -- and what she said would be her only -- interview.
Comments
When is Finchem going to test for HGH and Roids?
Bo Pelini was late for an interview so his team will be assessed a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty when they first get the ball.
Golf? A sport or a maze of mostly inconsequential and inane rules. The rules have become more than the sport itself.
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