While the ‘On the Clock Rule' designed to govern slow play
on the PGA Tour hasn't been enforced since 1992, the rule itself and the
official who threatened to use it are being called out for playing a critical
role in Padraig Harrington's unfortunate triple bogey during the final round of
the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational.
After rules official John Paramor informed the Woods-Harrington group that it would be timed by stopwatch for each shot on No. 16 tee, Harrington hit a series of poor shots, including a flop shot that came out hot and found the water guarding the 16th green. Harrington wound up making triple bogey, while Tiger Woods stuck an 8 iron only a few feet from the pin on his third shot and subsequently rolled in a short putt for birdie. The exchange left Harrington three shots behind Woods and effectively ended what had been a captivating battle between superstars.
“I don't know if you guys know it or not, but we got put on the clock,” Woods was quick to point out as her addressed the media in a post-round press conference. “I don't think that Paddy would have hit the pitch shot that way if he was able to take his time, look at it, analyze it, but he was on the clock, had to get up there quickly and hit it.”
Harrington also commented on the situation when he met the media.
“It wasn’t pick up the pace, it was on the clock,” Harrington stated. “It’s an awkward situation. There are rules and the players make the rules and we’ve got to apply them. Obviously it was a difficult situation, and you don’t want to get out of position.
“If you’re put on the clock, you always want to be nicely in position so you’re not having to think so much,” Harrington continued. “I got out of position with my tee shot, my second shot and my third shot, and that’s a very awkward situation. If you’re in position, you’ve got 50 seconds or 40 seconds or something to hit the shot. You couldn’t take that long to hit a shot. It’s only when you get out of position that all of a sudden you’re starting to think about it. I got out of position and just got myself out of the zone.”
Both players, as well as Tournament Director Slugger White acknowledged that the group was given an informal warning to speed up as they approached the turn. But an official declaration of "On the Clock" didn't come until the 16th hole.
Harrington obviously has a great deal of respect for the game and its traditions, as does Woods, and is a great competitor. But I would’ve loved to see Harrington continue to take his time at a critical juncture in the tournament and force the rules officials to man up and levy the one-stroke penalty (which comes with a $5,000 fine). It’s hard to believe that a rule which has not been used for roughly 17 years would’ve been enforced as two of golf’s marquee names battled down the stretch in a fairly prestigious event.
Once a player is put on the clock, he must violate the allotted time rule twice to actually incur a penalty, something that apparently never happens.
“Ninety-nine times out of 100, we rarely get to that second time because when they're told about the first bad time, they usually kind of get on their horse and try to catch the group ahead of them,” White said of the rule.
Officials in the NBA and NFL are often criticized for interpreting the rules differently depending on specific game situations. If you’ve watched even a single NBA playoff game, you’ll quickly notice that what constitutes a foul in the second quarter is far different than what is needed to warrant a whistle in the fourth. And pass interference is more likely to be called on a team’s first drive as opposed to their final drive with the game on the line.
Harrington made it clear that he believes no special treatment should be given to the final grouping.
“If you’re asking a player two or three groups ahead of the lead to play within a certain time frame, it’s unfair to give the leaders any leeway,” he said.
I tend to agree with Harrington’s assessment, however waiting until the 69th hole of a golf tournament to put the leaders on the clock is simply ridiculous. Maintaining the integrity of the game is one thing, but jeopardizing the integrity of the outcome is equally worthy of consideration.
Had Harrington been penalized, plenty would’ve blamed the PGA Tour for conspiring to hand Tiger the tournament. Had Woods been penalized, the sky may have fallen. Had nothing ever been said, we’d be labeling Harrington as just another choker who succumb to Woods mighty mystique. Personally, I think this is much ado about nothing, at least until the Tour actually hands down a penalty.
at Monday, 10 August 2009 17:10by Tom Peaker