Rocky lie leads to dispute

      Many of you have already seen the infamous "rock-moving" footage from the recent PGA Tour's Phoenix Open.
      When faced with a large boulder in the way of his play, Tiger Woods and the entire gallery of spectators were permitted to move the rock out of the way.
      I think the incident got more attention than it deserved due to the player who was involved in the decision. Tiger Woods obviously has the whole world watching when he steps onto a course.
      In this case, having those extra fans really paid off when it came to moving a 1,000-pound stone.
      Under the United States Golf Association rules, a player may move stones of any size that are not solidly embedded as long as the removal of such a stone does not unduly delay play. Furthermore, spectators, caddies and fellow competitors may assist in the removal of large loose impediments.
      When this situation first aired on television, CBS was bombarded with phone calls claiming the stone was imbedded and therefore shouldn't be allowed to be moved.
      It was also argued that when the stone was finally moved, it left an impression in the ground. The PGA rules official, Orlando Pope, made the ruling that the boulder was not imbedded and could be moved.
      After reading the rule book, I agree with the decision.
      However, I feel the rule should be changed to allow only the player and his caddy to move any loose impediments. I have seen the footage several times and couldn't see Tiger Woods joining in the moving of the boulder.
      Basically, the crowd moved it for him.
      If this same situation happened in a women's tournament, I'm not so sure the whole field of the tournament would be able to move such a stone. In that case, the person who hit their ball to the same spot would be forced to either play over, around or take an unplayable lie from behind the rock.
      The same situation might have occurred on a Thursday to a not so well-known player.
      The galleries during the week are significantly smaller than those on the weekends and any other player may not have the following of Tiger Woods.
      What happens then? Isn't that player entitled to the same ruling? If the rule read that only the player and his caddy were permitted to move any loose impediments, we may have seen a different outcome.
      The rules of golf are established to apply to all players, making the game fair for all participants. They are constantly changing and every year are appended and reworded due to situations like this.
      I think we may see yet another change in the coming years as a result of this ruling.
      I encourage you to study the rules of golf or better yet, get a copy of the USGA's "Decisions on the Rules of Golf." There are more peculiar situations and rulings in that book than you can imagine, and it's interesting to see what the ultimate rulings are.
      Meanwhile, try not to hit your ball behind any big rocks.
     
     Jon Spatz is the head golf professional at Desert Willow Golf Course. He can be reached at Jon Spatz, c/o Desert Willow Golf Course, Sun City MacDonald Ranch, 2020 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Henderson, NV, 89012, or by e-mail at spatzjo@delwebb.com or by calling 263-GOLF.