Tour Report: Penalty costs Simpson again (PGATOUR.com)

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Webb Simpson lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson Sunday at the Zurich Clasisc of New Orleans.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer

Golf is a game of inches, or in the case of Webb Simpson about a quarter of an inch. That was the distance the wind moved his ball as went to address it on the 15th green Sunday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Because Simpson had set his putter down behind the ball — about 4 or 5 inches behind it by his account — it was considered taking a stance and when the ball moved, ever so slightly, he was then assessed a one-stroke penalty.

Simpson finished regulation in a tie with Bubba Watson, who he would go on to lose to in a playoff.

“The problem with the rule is you get greens like this that they get pretty bare, almost like this table top, wind’s blowing, balls can wiggle and move so easily,” said Simpson, who had called the penalty on himself. “I go up to tap it in. It’s not like I rushed up there, I took my time.

“The unfortunate thing and the reason I don’t think it’s a good rule is golf is supposedly the last gentleman’s game. There is so much on the player to call the penalty on themselves. When wind or other natural things affect the golf ball, the player shouldn’t be penalized.”

Simpson wasn’t taking anything away from Watson’s win but this is also the second time the rule has cost him a stroke and possibly a tournament.

In the final round of the 2009 Bob Hope Classic, Simpson was in contention when on the 11th hole in the final round the exact same thing happened. He had a putt inside of a foot, the wind moved his ball as he addressed it and he was penalized. Simpson tied for fifth.

“It just stinks, you know,” Simpson said. “Who knows if that happened or what would happen. It was just unfortunate.”

Simpson certainly had his chances to win in regulation on Sunday.

After playing the front nine in 4 under, Simpson played the back in 1 over with two bogeys and just one birdie. Slowly, a once three-shot lead evaporated.

On the 15th, he approached the ball and set the putter down behind it only for a moment with his feet spread beside it.

“I think the rule states if you’re in a stance where you’re going to hit the putt, that’s considered your stance, no matter what it looks like,” Simpson said. “And my putter was already grounded. I don’t think it matters how far behind the ball it was.”

Simpson is a member of the PGA TOUR’s Player Advisory Council and said he plans to address the rule in the next meeting.

While it’s too early to tell if a change will occur, Simpson said he’ll try to have it changed.

This isn’t the first time the rules have come up this season.

Camilo Villegas and Padraig Harrington were disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard because of a penalty that was assessed after play was completed and their card turned in.

That rule has since been amended, giving tournament committees the ability to add the penalty to a player’s score after the card is signed rather than disqualify them. Whether this rule changes remains to be seen.

”We’re the PGA TOUR, so I think the idea behind rules is to protect the players and protect the field,” Simpson said. “So according to the rule, in my opinion it doesn’t protect us, it hurts us.

“If there’s wind blowing, you’re going to have this happen a number of times the rest of the year, and cost guys tournaments, cost them good finishes. It doesn’t lineup with the rest of the rules of golf which say it’s a gentleman’s game; we should call penalties on ourselves.”

How would he rewrite the rule if given the opportunity?

“It’s simple,” Simpson said. “I think there should be no rule at all. If you address the ball and your putter touches the ball, it should be a penalty.

“There is no way in the world that a player can put his putter behind the ball and cause a ball to move without touching the ball. Just like if you’re in the fairway and you touch the ball, you call it on yourself. But if the ball moves, the ball moved because of the wind or the grass. Then you say, hey, my ball moved. Everybody says, okay, end of story. I think it’s pretty simple.”

Watson takes over FedExCup lead

Thanks to his second win of the year, Bubba Watson moved to the top of the FedExCup standings with his playoff victory Sunday night.

With the win, Watson picked up 500 points and jumped from 10th to first in the standings, 119 points ahead of Luke Donald.

Mark Wilson, who was leading coming into the week but not in the field in New Orleans, dropped to third.

Webb Simpson, who lost to Watson in the playoff, moved from 24th to 10th.

Congratulate Watson on his win

It took two extra holes but Bubba Watson got his second win of the season Sunday, beating Webb Simpson in a playoff to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Share your note of congratulations here and we’ll pass it along to Watson.

Playoff play-by-play: Watson wins

Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson finished regulation tied at 15 under. Here’s a play-by-play of their playoff, beginning on the par-5 18th.

No. 18

– Tee shot: Simpson split the fairway with a perfect tee shot, while Watson went left for the second straight time. But Watson actually has a better lie with his ball sitting up, while Watson’s is on an awkward downhill, sidehill lie.

– Second shot: Watson went first and came up just short on his approach, while Simpson’s shot kicked onto the green only to roll through the back and into a sprinkler head.

– Third shot: Watson’s wedge game has been an issue all day and this one was no different. He hit another indifferent pitch shot and the ball stopped on a downslope. No problem, though. He rolled in the putt after Simpson rolled his to near tap-in range. On they go, back to the tee on No. 18.

No. 18

– Watson found the long fairway bunker down the right side with his tee shot, while Simpson again hit the middle of the fairway.

– Despite being in a bunker, Watson hit his approach shot onto the front of the green, while Simpson found a greenside bunker left.

– It took two extra holes, but Bubba Watson’s two-putt from just over 50 feet gave him a birdie and the win Sunday after Simpson failed to get up and down from the greenside bunker and made par.

Watson, Simpson head to playoff

All that stood between Bubba Watson and his second win of the season was 8 feet, 11 inches. But Watson left his birdie putt just short on the 72nd hole to finish regulation at 15 under and in a tie with Webb Simpson.

The two will now head to a playoff beginning on the 18th hole.

In a tie coming to the par-5 finishing hole, both players missed the green short and left on their second shots. Simpson’s third shot, a difficult pitch from the rough, rolled well past the hole and he two-putted for par.

Watson, meanwhile, hit his shot from a fairway bunker short of the green to inside 10 feet and alone the same line as Simpson’s putt. He too was unable to convert.

Of course if it weren’t for a one-shot penalty that Simpson called on himself after his ball apparently moved as he set his putter behind it on the 15th hole.

Simpson issued one-shot penalty

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer

If Webb Simpson doesn’t win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans it very well could be because of what just happened on the 15th green at TPC Louisiana.

With Simpson’s ball at near tap-in distance, he walked up to it and was about to putt it out when the ball moved as he set his putter down behind the ball. At least that’s what Simpson told a rules official after calling for one before he replaced the ball and took a one-stroke penalty.

As a result, Simpson and Bubba Watson are now tied for the lead with three holes to go.

Watson now just one back

So much for Bubba Watson being out of this tournament.

The only blemish on the long-hitting lefthander’s card remains that double bogey on the ninth hole. Other than that he has three birdies and an eagle and is now suddenly just one back of Webb Simpson with five holes to play.

The latest of those birdies for Watson came on the 13th hole, where he stuck his approach shot to 3 1/2 feet and made the putt.

Simpson, meanwhile, bogeyed the 12th hole and now is going to have to fight off some nerves — something he struggled with in Tampa earlier this year — in order to win his first title.

Watch: Watson gets wet

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The turning point of this tournament will very likely be this errant tee shot by Bubba Watson on the par-3 ninth hole. Click to watch

Simpson has lead at turn

Though Webb Simpson had never slept on a lead going into the final round of a PGA TOUR event, he does have one thing working for him: He’s in the top 10 on TOUR when it comes to final-round scoring average.

Playing well when there’s no pressure and doing it when you’re trying to win for the first time are two different things, but Simpson seems to be handling the latter just fine.

The former Wake Forest standout just took a three-shot lead after a birdie on No. 10 — his fourth of the day and second in the last three holes. Couple that with a double bogey by Bubba Watson on the par-3 ninth, where he inexplicably tugged his tee shot into the water and Simpson appears on his way to his first win.

Watson, Simpson separate from pack

At one point there were about 25 players within reach of the lead of Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson.

With the two approaching the turn, the two are still tied after Simpson birdied the eighth hole.

K.J. Choi and George McNeill, meanwhile, both just made the turn in 3 under but they’re still three shots back of Watson and Simpson.

Another stroke back from them is Jason Dufner, who is 5 under in the final round but quickly running out of holes with only four left.

Martin/Getty Images Webb Simpson lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson Sunday at the Zurich Clasisc of New Orleans. By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer Golf is a game of inches, or in the case of Webb Simpson about a quarter of an inch. That was the distance the wind moved his ball as went …