[Tony2005]

Tiger Woods assessed 2-shot penalty at Masters


Tiger Woods was assessed a 2-shot penalty for an illegal drop
It came on hole No. 15 in the second round
Woods, a four-time Masters champ, has not won here since 2005.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods was assessed a two-shot penalty at the Masters Saturday for taking an illegal drop during Friday's second round.

The world's No. 1 player, who is trying to win his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship, was deemed by the Masters' Rules Committee to have taken an illegal drop on the 15th hole. He was not disqualified, however, for signing an incorrect scorecard as a result of a rule change two years ago.

The R&A and U.S. Golf Association relaxed its rules on disqualification for signing an incorrect scorecard after an incident involving Padraig Harrington in a European Tour event. A television viewer, watching coverage in high definition TV, phoned tournament officials that Harrington's ball moved ever so slightly as he addressed a putt. Harrington did not realize the ball had moved. When it was reviewed, however, officials determined the ball had moved and gave him a two-stroke penalty. Thus, Harrington was disqualified a day after the incident for signing an incorrect scorecard.

The governing bodies determined players should not be disqualified because of "facts that he or she didn't know and could not reasonably have discovered prior to returning his scorecard. Thus, stroke penalties will be added to a score retrospectively.

He signed for a 1-under-par 71, which included a 6 on the 15th hole. With the penalty, his scorecard now shows an 8 on 15 and a 73 on Friday. He will be at 1 under par overall, and five shots out of the lead.

Tournament officials waited for Woods to arrive to the course to consult with him before making their decision.

Woods, who has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, was just one shot out of the lead when he hit his third shot on the par-5 from 87 yards. The ball, however, hit the flag stick and caromed backward into a water hazard fronting the green.

From here, under Rule 26-1, Woods had three options.

He could have played his next shot from the designated drop area, which was to the left front of the water hazard. He did not choose this option.

Or he could drop the ball as far back from the original position, keeping the point where it last crossed the margin of the water between the hole and the spot on which the ball would be dropped. The ball entered the water well left of Woods' position from the fairway. It seemed Woods did not choose this option – which would have allowed him to drop on a straight line as far back as he wanted.

Or he could return to the original spot from which he played, and drop "as nearly as possible,'" from where he played the third shot.

After the round Woods said he chose to play his fifth shot from the area in which he hit his third shot. He said he wanted to go two yards back of the original divot to make sure the ball landed short of the flag.

The issue at question is whether that violates the rule stating the ball should be dropped "as nearly as possible" to the spot where it was last played.

"I went back to where I played it from, but I went 2 yards further back and I took, tried to take 2 yards off the shot of what I felt I hit," Woods said.

Woods was penalized earlier this year for taking an illegal drop. In Abu Dhabi, his first tournament of the season, Woods thought he had made the cut when he shot 73 in the second round. But he was given a two-stroke penalty form taking a free drop when his ball was embedded in sand. That was not allowed in the tournament. The two strokes pushed Woods' total to 3-over-par 147. The cut was 146.