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An agonizing decision
TUCSON, Ariz. -- As we all know, golf is a game of integrity. Last Saturday, at the Welch's/Circle K Championship, I had mine tested. During the third round, I found myself in a predicament that I have never experienced in 17 years of caddying in professional golf: I was forced to call a penalty on my own player. My dilemma came while working for Sue Ginter. What looked to be an innocent act of anger turned into a devastating penalty and left me with a gut-wrenching decision.
So when her shot only advanced the ball up the bunker, I wasn't surprised. But being the competitor that she is, Ginter wasn't happy with the effort, and as she left the sandy surface she took out her frustrations. As she banged her sand wedge against the crusty beach, my heart jumped up into my throat. I immediately realized that she had just done something that was irreversible. According to the Rules of Golf -- Rule 13-4-b -- she shouldn't have grounded her club in the bunker with her ball still in the hazard, even though her ball was some 20 yards away. I quickly looked around to see if anyone else had seen the infraction. Unfortunately for me, our playing partner, Sherri Steinhauer, was on the green preparing to putt for birdie and didn't get a good view, and the fans following us were few and far between. So the only witness to this insignificant crime was me. Immediately, I began to wrestle with my conscience. I was sure of the rule because the exact same thing happened to Karrie Webb last year in Dayton, Ohio. In that case Webb knew the rule and called the two-shot penalty on herself. The punishment was extremely costly: Webb ended up losing the tournament to Annika Sorenstam by one shot. As Ginter lined up a 30-footer for bogey, my mind was racing. I kept thinking of all the players who had called penalties on themselves without hesitation. One time in New York, Mhairi McKay admitted to double-hitting a chip shot when no one else had noticed. Earlier this season, Suzanne Strudwick disqualified herself after noticing she signed an incorrect scorecard. But as sure as I knew calling the penalty was the honorable thing to do, I also felt that Ginter had gained no advantage by just venting her frustrations. So for a brief second I thought about saying nothing. As she made the treacherous double-breaker for what look like a bogey 5, I realized that I wanted to get some sleep sometime in the future. Ginter walked over with a big smile -- proud of the long putt -- that I instantly made disappear. I informed her of the penalty, and she quickly realized that I was right. She turned to Steinhauer to get a decision and took her punishment -- a two-shot penalty -- like a champion. But the miscue would take its toll. On a course, Randolph Park North, where even par is a bad day, Ginter would struggle to a 78, before applying the two strokes. The penalty proved to be more costly than just a couple of shots. All of a sudden, Ginter was DFL and playing in a one-some on Sunday. In hindsight, I should have waited until the end of the round to inform her of the penalty. In this case, calling the infraction didn't have any bearing until she was ready to sign the scorecards, and Ginter may have played a better round had she not carried around the extra burden of her foolish action. Either way, this was the toughest thing I've ever had to do as a caddie. And to think, I did it so I could get some sleep -- which I still didn't manage to do much of. Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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