Stars demand end to TV review penalties
Print Edition
MASTERS stars pushed for banning television review penalties like the one that cost Lexi Thompson the first women’s major title of the year.
“There’s no question it should be ended,” eighth-ranked American Rickie Fowler said. “I don’t think you could find one player who would say otherwise.”
Thompson was hit with a four-stroke penalty with six holes remaining in Sunday’s final round of the LPGA’s ANA Inspiration for an infraction in Saturday’s third round spotted by a television viewer.
“I know she was really upset and really heartbroken. I don’t know how she kept going,” seventh-ranked American Justin Thomas said. “It’s a bummer.”
There was sympathy and outrage from the men’s players who could face a similar mishap at Augusta National, which tees off tomorrow.
“There’s no other sport where anybody could call in and say, ‘Oh, that was a foul.’ It just doesn’t happen,” 2016 PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker said. “I don’t know why we’re the exception and you get to do that. Nobody gets to call ins-and-outs in tennis. I think we need to change that.”
Fowler said he expects players on all tours to insist officials ignore contacts from replay detectives. “I’m sure there has already been some sort of push just from yesterday,” Fowler said. “There shouldn’t be any outside contact.
“It has been an ongoing problem. It has been talked about for years. I’m surprised it’s still around or hasn’t been changed.”
Thomas was stunned that someone watching at home a day earlier could deny Thompson a major victory for a ball marking error on a putt of mere inches and said any notion she cheated was “ridiculous.”
“It’s just so crazy to me that it could happen after the round is concluded,” Thomas said.
“The fact somebody who has no relevance to the tournament can have an impact a day later — it’s bizarre to me someone can do that and it cost her a major championship. It’s frustrating and it needs to go away. It needs to change... I don’t know how the communication is shut off. It just needs to happen.”
Fowler said he would have no problem if there was a video review official to study replays such as North American leagues like the NBA and NFL utilize.
“If there’s an official always monitoring any video or anyone on camera, that’s fine and I have no problem with that, if that’s an official,” he said. “Look at other sports. They go to someone in the video booth.”
But Walker notes that not every player has equal scrutiny under the camera’s glare.
“I don’t think people should be able to call in like that, especially with as many cameras that are on,” Walker said. “Some players have so many more cameras on them. It’s just, I think, it’s unfair. Sounded like it was a really, really bad raw deal.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
