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Mystery Masters TV caller in Tiger Woods rules fiasco revealed

Wed, 01 May 2013 16:40:00 GMT

The saga of Tiger Woods' infamous drop at the Masters, an incident that wound up stealing the spotlight from 14-year-old Tianlang Guan making the cut and even Adam Scott's thrilling win for Australia, has a new twist. We now know the identity of the man who got the ball, um, rolling in the whole situation.

Sports Illustrated's Michael Bamberger reported Wednesday that Champions Tour player David Eger (below) was the person who first contacted tournament officials to inform them of Woods' illegal drop. Bamberger notes that, "Before joining the senior circuit, Eger had a long career as a tournament director with both the PGA Tour and the USGA. Along with Mark Russell of the PGA Tour and Kerry Haigh of the PGA of America, Eger is one of the most experienced tournament officials in U.S. golf and an expert on the rules."

In other words, this isn't your average guy who cut out of work early that day to watch a little golf.

The 61-year-old Eger was at home, but his trained eye caught the infraction right away. Convinced Woods had violated rule 26-1a, Eger, a four-time winner on the Champions Tour, watched and re-watched Woods take a drop and hit his fifth shot on the par-5 15th hole during the second round after his third shot had caromed off the flagstick and into the water. Without a direct line to Fred Ridley, the tournament's competition committee chairman, Eger frantically reached out to Mickey Bradley, "a veteran PGA Tour official who he knew was working the Masters."

That started a chain of events, which Bamberger describes further: "Bradley immediately called Ridley and Russell, the veteran PGA Tour administrator who is on the three-man Masters competition committee that is chaired by Ridley, a former U.S. Amateur champion and USGA president. Bradley also forwarded Eger's text to Russell and Ridley. In his text, Eger wrote that Woods 'didn't appear to play by Rule 26-1-a.' He wrote that he 'appeared to be 3-4 feet back' from his divot mark."

According to the story, Bradley forwarded Eger's text message at 6:59 p.m, when Tiger was still on the course.

Of course, we know what happened from there. Ridley looked into the matter and decided Woods hadn't broken a rule. He then decided not to discuss the matter with Woods before he signed his scorecard and left the course, thinking the matter was over. It wasn't.

In a post-round TV interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi, Woods informed viewers he had dropped "two yards" farther back for a better yardage. Eventually, that led to CBS' Jim Nantz calling Ridley later that night to ask about the situation. Woods was brought in to discuss the matter the next day, but Ridley and the tournament committee decided to assess him a two-shot penalty after the fact instead of disqualifying him since no one had notified Woods of a possible violation before he left the course on Friday.

It seems everyone, including Jack Nicklaus, who thought Augusta National acted appropriately, has weighed in on the situation since. But with new information coming to light, "Dropgate" remains an issue that still hasn't been dropped from golf's conversation.

Bamberger summed up Eger's role in the fiasco:

"It should be noted that Eger's call saved Woods from disqualification, because it spurred Ridley's incorrect interpretation, which was challenged by Woods's own comments to ESPN, which enabled Ridley to invoke rule 33-7, the one that allows wrongs to be righted."

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With Muirfield on the horizon, the debate over all-male golf clubs rages on

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:26:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Augusta National Golf Club waited until it was ready to have its first female members. Apparently, it will be up to the three all-male clubs in the British Open's rota of courses to do the same.

At a Tuesday press conference, the R&A's chief executive, Peter Dawson, made it clear that the governing body of golf for most of the world won't "bully" clubs into taking women members. In fact, he said he doesn't think it's the R&A's place to get involved.

All-male clubs are once again a hot topic with this year's Open Championship being held at Muirfield, one of three courses used for golf's oldest major that still adheres to an all-male membership policy. The other two courses are Royal St. George's and Royal Troon.

Dawson noted that, "There is nothing wrong under UK legislation with a single-sex club as long as they behave under the equality act as far as guest access is concerned, which Muirfield certainly does."

Dawson went on to say, "Muirfield has a huge history when it comes to the Open Championship and this will be the 16th time that is has been played there, and who are we to say what they should do as they are behaving perfectly legally."

This conversation has also come to the forefront once again on the heels of the first Masters since Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore were invited to be the first women members of Augusta National, something that club chairman Billy Payne addressed in his pre-tournament press conference:

"I hope the experience for Condi and Darla, as members of our club, has been every bit as rewarding and enjoyable for them over the last eight months as it has been for their fellow members," Payne said. "It's just awesome."

It took 80 years for Augusta National to change its policy regarding women members, but it seems, at least, ostensibly, to be happy with the decision. Should Muirfield, Royal St. George's and Royal Troon follow suit?

And that's just one question this conversation raises. If golf wants to continue to grow, does having one of its most prestigious events being played at a site that isn't inclusive of women send the right message? Just because it's legal, does that mean it's the right thing to do? Does the R&A, perhaps the sport's most powerful organization, deserve a say in the situation? And if so, should it intervene?

For now, it appears as if those questions will remain unanswered. As this year's Open approaches, though, don't expect them to go away.

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If we're to discuss growing the game, we must look at those discussing it

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:23:00 GMT

By Derek Evers

More than a week has passed. The furor has died down. Everyone within golf's inner circle is breathing a sigh of relief that Tiger Woods didn't win the Masters. And thanks to a dramatic finish by a guy with movie star good looks, there were plenty of feel-good storylines to bury the lede on Woods' drop fiasco at the Masters. But as great as Adam Scott's sudden death playoff victory over Angel Cabrera was, the game of golf could use a mulligan.

It's time we turn the camera lens on ourselves. Photo: Karim Jaafar/Getty Images

It's easy to reflect on the excitement surrounding Tiger Woods' penalty -- as many have -- from a historical perspective: What would the greats of past generations do if in his situation? Would they withdraw despite being assessed a two-stroke penalty because it would preserve golf's tradition of "values"? Did Tiger Woods miss an opportunity to grow the game?

Yet, to talk about "growing the game of golf" requires an outsider's point of view -- an outsider who views much of the dialogue around golf as an echo chamber of (mostly) white (mostly) men questioning Tiger's mistake from a preemptive position of integrity.

I won't attempt to rehash everything that occurred on Friday and Saturday at the Masters, but if you're looking for a refresher, you can start here. As Nick Faldo repeated throughout the televised coverage, the modern era has given us a lot of gray area for rules interpretations. What is not in dispute, however, is that golf owes Tiger Woods -- at the very least -- the benefit of the doubt.

For better or worse, the 14-time major champion remains the face of the game to everyone without vested interest. And yet, as a thirtysomething fan holding the remote control, I watched Fred Ridley's press conference on Saturday morning devolve into a witchhunt for a scapegoat as those being paid to cover the sport demanded to know why the world's most famous golfer wasn't being kicked out of the world's most famous golf tournament. It was enough to make you think he was but a cog in the sport, not the man solely responsible for putting their stories on the front page.

These same journalists would later pen how ratings of the final round were up 26%, yet gloss over how it peaked about an hour before the telecast ended when Tiger's round was finishing up. This, by the way, has been case in every Masters he's played in. Think Adam Scott will captivate audiences that way? By comparison, weekend ratings for the years Zach Johnson (11.9) and Trevor Immelman (11.0) won the Masters surpassed the 10.2 ratings share we enjoyed in 2013. Not coincidentally, Tiger factored prominently in both of those final rounds.

Yet, despite every panicked cry about the state of the game, when given the opportunity to showcase the inclusion we want to believe golf employs, we step all over ourselves in an attempt to show how righteous we are.

Deadspin's Drew Magary accurately summed up the culpability when saying "Golf's self-congratulating rule-keeping is dumb. . . To anyone existing outside of that bubble, golf has a reputation for being elitist, racist, sexist, wasteful, expensive, and dickish -- a game played by cheaters, liars, crooks, frauds, and brats. It has no more integrity than any other sport, and this little Tiger episode has forcefully demonstrated the disconnect between how golf people feel about their sport and the reality of how it's played and by whom."

"Nicklaus and Jones would've withdrawn," tweeted one reporter. Another blamed the disconnect on a younger generation that doesn't feel a responsibility to adhere to golf's traditions. And Saturday's live telecast opened with 30-minutes of Jim Nantz in the Butler Cabin explaining why Tiger Woods was allowed to keep playing, paying no mind to the fact that Woods was actually on the course at that time. As someone following the story all morning, it seemed redundant. As a casual fan who was forced to wait until 3pm to see live coverage, it played out like water torture. It was enough to make you turn off the TV and go outside... And we might have... If Tiger Woods wasn't playing.

When the joy over Australia's first Masters victory subsides, and the conversation returns to the state of the game, I would implore everyone who reports on golf for a living to imagine themselves as someone who lives outside of golf's "bubble" fraternity -- and there are many -- watching the television coverage and seeing the game's only true superstar getting interrogated for hitting not one, but two shots of impeccable precision. In essence, for doing what he is paid millions of dollars to do. Even in loss, Tiger Woods demonstrated he is still the best at wielding a stick at a little white ball, and that is all anyone outside the game cares about.

-- Derek Evers is a Contributing Editor for GolfDigest.com.

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Range Envy

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:14:00 GMT

By Ashley Mayo

Practice makes perfect: Augusta National's driving range. Photo by Donald Miralle

Augusta National's 18-acre practice range is as impeccable as the course, complete with azaleas, pines and rolling terrain. Situated where media members once parked their cars, the range debuted at the 2010 Masters and is on the other side of Magnolia Lane from the original range. It has four target greens and several strategically placed trees that serve as additional aiming points, the farthest one 315 yards out. Bunkers surround three of the four greens, and the closest green has three flagsticks.

An adjacent short-game area has a practice putting green and two target greens, protected by bunkers. The stations, which can comfortably accommodate everyone who makes the cut, are set in a gentle curve. There are 570 padded seats, and a leader board on the right side is updated throughout the Masters. Oh, and members still mostly use the old range.

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Out With The Old: Last-minute equipment tweaks common, even at majors

Derek Evers — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:41:00 GMT

By E. Michael Johnson Draw it up: Tianlang Guan played two new fairway woods. Photo by David Cannon/Getty ImagesYou might think players would be reluctant to make equipment changes at the year's first major....

Big In Japan: Uniqlo hit the jackpot when it signed Adam Scott

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:40:00 GMT

By Marty Hackel

Thrilling as Adam Scott's victory was in his native Australia, there were some very happy golf fans in Japan, too. Just days before the Masters, Tokyo-based retail giant Uniqlo (you-NEE-klo) signed on as one of Scott's sponsors. Scott wore the company's shirts, pants, belts and logo all week. Even his underwear was Uniqlo! The company produces its clothing and sells it exclusively at reasonable prices.

You can wear Uniqlo designs all the time -- on and off course -- so to me that's additional value. I've shopped at Uniqlo's spacious store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, and the clothing is modern and very stylish. The company, with 1,200 stores worldwide, will open its seventh U.S. store, in New York, April 19. You can also shop online at uniqlo.com.

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Inside Golf World Podcast: How We Cover The Masters

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:20:00 GMT

By Ryan Herrington

Dorothy Parker famously professed, "I hate writing. I love having written."

Trust us when we say we know the feeling.

A blank computer screen can be one of the scarier sights for any journalist, particularly when you're assigned the main piece at the year's biggest tournament. In this week's Inside Golf World Podcast, Golf World contributing writer Jim Moriarty discusses what went in to reporting and writing the game story from the 77th Masters, which chronicled Adam Scott's playoff victory over Angel Cabrera.

Of course, the week that was at Augusta National saw more storylines play out than simply Scott becoming the first Australian to win a green jacket.

Moriarty details how he went about keeping the various subplots (slow-play warnings, illegal ball drops, etc.) organized so that come Sunday night--and into Monday morning--he was able to craft a cogent, entertaining look at the year's first major.

Listen to the podcast
Subscribe to the Inside Golf World series in iTunes

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Winner's Bag: What Adam Scott used to capture Australia's first Masters

Derek Evers — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:58:00 GMT

By E. Michael Johnson By winning at Augusta National, Adam Scott became the first golfer from Australia to win the Masters, but he also became the first player to win a major using the...

Video: Adam Scott reveals he's in a relationship

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:16:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Adam Scott isn't married and the biggest hug he got on Augusta National's 10th green after winning the Masters on Sunday came from his caddie, Steve Williams. But apparently, that doesn't mean he's available, either. Sorry, ladies.

In a Wednesday interview on "CBS This Morning" Scott was asked about the female attention he's been receiving since his breakthrough win. His response when asked about his situation? "I'm not single at all. I'm very much in a relationship, and am very happy at the moment."

Check it out below at about the 3:45 mark:

When pressed to give a name of his significant other, Scott said, "Marie." So who is this "Marie," you ask? The answer appears to be Marie Kojzar, a 31-year-old Swedish architect.

According to this 2008 profile in "The Australian," the two actually began dating back in 2001, but broke up in 2008 -- an event that Scott says "definitely had an effect on my golf."

Here is a link to Kojzar's profile on her company's website, which includes a photo of the blonde. As far as a picture of her with Adam Scott, the only one we could find is this one (left) following Scott's win at the 2003 Scandinavian Masters.

Of course, Scott has had more publicized relationships with actress Kate Hudson and tennis player Ana Ivanovic in recent years. Scott met Kojzar while she was working as an au pair for Thomas Bjorn.

Hmm. A blonde Swedish nanny working for a professional golfer? We've heard that before somewhere. . .

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The Grind: Why Adam Scott's Masters win will really grow the game

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:35:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we're convinced Adam Scott might grow the game of golf more than anyone since Arnold Palmer. For non-golfy women around the country casually tuning into the end of the tournament -- or perhaps looking for "60 Minutes" -- watching the end of the Masters was a real eye-opener (Even ABC's 'The Bachelor' is wishfully targeting Scott). Guys, be aware going forward. When your significant other asks, "Is there any golf on TV this weekend?", that's really code for, "Is that dreamy Australian guy playing this weekend?"

"I know I'm single, but please calm down, ladies."

WE'RE BUYING

Adam Scott. The Australian had plenty of guys drooling as well with that perfect swing. And after struggling on the greens all Sunday, Scott finally got that broomstick putter of his to knock a couple in when it mattered most. Good for him for bouncing back so quickly from his collapse at last year's British Open. Good for me, since his breakthrough won me GolfDigest.com's first-ever Masters fantasy draft. And again, good for the game.

Angel Cabrera. Serious question: Other than the handful of times he's either contended or won a major championship, where does this guy go? What a performance, especially under the utmost pressure. The approach to kick-in range on 18 will long be remembered, but so should his putting and that chip shot on the first playoff hole that somehow didn't drop. Cabrera couldn't pull it out this time, but he served notice yet again that if he's in the mix, watch out.

Tianlang Guan. Not even a slow-play penalty could keep the 14-year-old from making the cut at the Masters. We probably shouldn't be too surprised with anything age-related in golf after a 59-year-old Tom Watson nearly won the British Open four years ago, but still, what a remarkable performance. Two stunning stats: Guan didn't make more than a bogey all week and he didn't three-putt on Augusta National's diabolical greens once. It shouldn't be too long before Tiger Woods asks the young man for a putting lesson.

The Masters. It delivers every year, doesn't it? And now Lindsey Vonn and Paulina Gretzky (unnecessarily shown above) can say they've been! Even when most of the final round is a bit of a snooze -- we'll give the rain a lot of the blame for that -- we wind up witnessing one of the most exciting finishes ever at a major championship. Whether its the routing of the course, the setting, or Jim Nantz's hushed tones, you can always count on an exciting finish -- and a dose of depression when it's over.

WE'RE SELLING

Brandt Snedeker. We thought he was over final-round pressure with his gutsy performance at the Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup's $10 million bonus, but Sneds still looked a lot like the guy who melted down Sunday at Augusta five years ago the first time he had a chance to win his first major.

Tiger Woods. Even Nick Faldo marveled at the bad breaks Woods got during the week, most notably the shot off the flagstick into the water on Friday and what he termed a "400-degree lipout" on Saturday. That being said, here's a simple request for the World No. 1 and a man who has played more rounds of golf in his life than the combined staff of Golf Digest: KNOW THE RULES!

Phil Mickelson. From adding the "Phrankenwood" to his bag to worrying about the PGA Tour's schedule leading up to the season's first major, it seems like Mickelson over-analyzed his way to a disappointing Masters finish. What will Phil and Callaway cook up for the U.S. Open at Merion? A half-putter, half-doughnut maker?

ON TAP

Wait, there's another tournament this week? But the Masters is over! Hmm, let's see. . . why yes, it's the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.

Random tournament fact: Not sure if you've seen it before, but there is a lighthouse on the 18th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links.

WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP

First, we started the PGA Tour Sleepers Jinx and now? The Tiger Woods Win Jinx. As has been pointed out to us by several people on Twitter, it wasn't the flagstick on the 15th hole or the incorrect drop or the TV viewer who called in, but us who cost Tiger his fifth green jacket. Simply put, when we start him, he loses. When we stick him on the bench, he wins. Every time. We'll keep that in mind the next time he tees it up. . .

Starters -- (A-List): Bill Haas. Tied with Keegan Bradley and Brandt Snedeker for the most top 10s on the PGA Tour this year, Haas is getting close to career win No. 5.

(B-List): Luke Donald. With another major disappointment in the books, it's time for Donald to refocus at a course where he finished T-2, T-3 and solo second from 2009-2011.

(B-List): Bo Van Pelt. Why does he always wait until Sunday to make his move at Augusta?

(C-List): Billy Horschel. After close calls in Houston and San Antonio, Horschel and his PGA Tour-best streak of 21 consecutive made cuts will be looking once again for his breakthrough tour win.

Bench -- Brandt Snedeker, Aaron Baddeley, Matt Kuchar, and Jason Day.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

-- Thomas Vonn (Lindsey's ex-husband) is confirmed as the "TV viewer" who blew the whistle on Tiger: 100-to-1 odds

-- Brandel Chamblee is confirmed as the "TV viewer" who blew the whistle on Tiger: 2-to-1 odds

-- Jim Nantz will not scream "A Life Changer!" after the winning putt at Harbour Town: LOCK

-- You will not watch as much golf on TV as you did last week: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

It's the story that just won't die. We thought we could move on from #Dropgate and then the Augusta Chronicle released these side-by-side photos indicating that perhaps Woods didn't violate a rule after all when he took his now infamous drop on the 15th hole on Friday. What's next? The Golf Channel's first made-for-TV movie event?

PHOTO OF THE WEEK (NOT INVOLVING TIGER WOODS)

We don't know who these people are, but they seem pretty awesome. A guy proposes to his girl in front of the Augusta National clubhouse and she says yes? Very cool. We're just glad Augusta National doesn't have a rule against that type of thing.

THIS AND THAT

TV ratings for the final round of the Masters were up 26%. It helps to have Tiger on the first page of the leader board, even if it's at the bottom. . . . Inbee Park moved to No. 1 in women's golf during her off week. World rankings! . . . A 14-year-old made the cut at the Masters. Sorry, but we can't say that enough.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How many more years will Fred Couples "turn back the clock" at Augusta National?

Why doesn't Angel Cabrera take over those "Most interesting man in the world" beer ads?

Who wouldn't want to be Adam Scott's agent right about now?

-- Alex Myers is an Associate Editor for GolfDigest.com. Feel free to email him and please follow him on Twitter since he has self-esteem issues.