The rule that cost Webb Simpson one stroke on the 15th green Sunday in the Zurich Classic might be changed as soon as 2012. What is your opinion with what happened? Has it ever happened to you? Leave your thoughts in the space below. For more on the USGA’s look at the topic, click here.
Time to call it … the Bubba Bunker
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Bubba Watson birdied the second hole of a playoff Sunday at the Zurich Classic.
That bunker that Bubba Watson escaped to win the Zurich Classic playoff? According to ShotLink, Watson is the only player to ever even hit the green from that bunker. And he’s done it three times in his career.
Here’s a look inside the numbers according to ShotLink …
Hitting the 18th in two from the fairway bunker on second playoff hole: Since 2005, 978 players have gone for the 18th green in two shots and 136 have been successful in their attempts (14 percent). However, Watson is the only player to have ever hit the 18th green in two shots from the fairway bunker.
He’s been there before: Not only is Watson the only player to have accomplished this feat on 18, but Sunday’s playoff was not the first time he’s been in the fairway bunker off the tee. At the 2008 Zurich Classic, Watson was in the same fairway bunker in both the first and second (212 yards in Round 1 and 227 yards in Round 2) and successfully hit the green in two both times (went onto make two-putt birdies each round).
To watch the shot (and all the highlights from the playoff), click here.
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.
Wins quickly piling up for Watson
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer
Bubba Watson is still trying to get over the first win, which came only 10 months ago at the Travelers Championship.
Watson
Since then it’s been a whirlwind, during which he’s won twice more including on Sunday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Ten months, three wins and now Watson sits atop the FedExCup standings for the first time in his career.
“I won the first one and somehow now I’ve got three,” Watson said. “A year ago I was a good player who never won, and now I’ve got three under my belt. So it’s crazy.
“It’s something that I could never dream of. For me to get one was unbelievable. My career was complete. I’ve done it. Then for me to get another one just adds to my career. It’s something I’ve dreamed about doing.”
It wasn’t that long ago that days like were just that for Watson — a dream.
From 2006 to 2009, Watson had 13 top-10s on the PGA TOUR — but no wins. He also had what he’s called not the best attitude on the golf course.
That’s when his wife Angie, a former pro basketball player, stepped in and told me he had to be a professional. He had to practice. He couldn’t be lazy. He had to eat properly. He had to pick his head up and not be a, “I don’t know what the right word is — not be a bad person on the golf course, I guess you could say,” Watson said.
“She told me that I’m playing golf for a living. It’s a dream come true, and I’ve got to play differently. I’ve got to act differently.”
He’s also started playing differently. Once known as just being a long hitter, Watson has combined that with accuracy this season.
Watson leads the TOUR in greens in regulation, is third in total driving and eighth in the all-around category.
Sunday’s victory also gives Watson his third in an event sponsored by an insurance company.
“It’s working right now,” Watson said. “We need to try something else. Maybe something that ends in championship. PGA Championship, Wells Fargo Championship, Players Championship. That would be a nice roll to start getting on.”
Penalty costs Simpson again
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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.”
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.
More:
Tour Report: Your take: The fate of Rule 18-2b (PGATOUR.com)