“On Sunday afternoon, the LPGA received an email from a
television viewer, saying that Lexi Thompson did not properly replace her ball
prior to putting out on the 17th hole during Saturday’s third round of the ANA
Inspiration. The claim was quickly investigated by LPGA Rules officials.
After a full review, it was determined that Thompson
breached Rule 20-7c (Playing From Wrong Place), and received a two-stroke
penalty under Rule 16-1b. She incurred an additional two-stroke penalty under
Rule 6-6d for returning an incorrect scorecard in round three. She was
immediately notified of the breach by LPGA Rules Committee in between holes 12
and 13 of the final round.”
Leaving aside the question of whether there should be a
time limit in “reporting in” by TV viewers or others – surely by the time a
player tees off, anything to do with their previous round(s) should no longer
be up for discussion – the result undoubtedly cost Thompson a Major Title. She showed outstanding courage to go on and
birdie the 13th hole, and later to get into the playoff with
eventual winner So Yeon Ryu of Korea, who achieved her score of -14 in a more
straightforward manner.
There was a lineup for 3rd a shot back, with
Minjee Lee, In Bee Park and Suzann Pettersen all having their chances over the
final few holes.
It almost seems trivial to note that defending champion
Lydia Ko finished T11 on -7. Apart from
early on in the suspended 1st Round, she never threatened the lead
at any stage, although her finishing burst of 3 birdies in the last 5 holes
would have been welcomed by any of the contenders above. As compensation, she retains her World 1#
ranking for at least another week.
Henley’s Houston Heroics
Russell Henley booked himself a trip to this week’s
Masters with a sizzling final round of
65, and a four round tally of -20, 3 shots clear of Sung Kang of Korea, who had
led by 6 at the halfway mark. Luke List
and Rickie Fowler shared 3rd on -16.
For Danny Lee, it was a case of what might have
been. On paper, he has chalked up
another Top 20 finish, and improved his FedEx Cup ranking to 116#, but he was
in position to do much better. He was
heading towards the lead in Round 2, only to post three bogeys in a row on 15,
16 & 17. In fact the back nine
bothered Danny all week, not least in the final round when he visited the water
twice on 11 on his way to a triple bogey 7.
Under the circumstances, he did well to come back with two late birdies
for an even par round, but a weekend of 72 and 72 does not win golf tournaments.
Paddison prevails at Akarana
Gareth Paddison must have
wondered where all the birdies had gone, as he reeled off 13 straight pars in
his final round in the Barfoot & Thompson Akarana Open. By that time, he had been overtaken by
Michael Hendry, Mark Brown, and amateur Henry Spring.
However, Gareth rallied with
a birdie on 14, and then nearly holed his 2nd shot to the 18th
to force a playoff with Michael Hendry, both players finishing on -18. It took four trips up and down the 18th
before Paddison reprised his effort in regulation play for a tap-in birdie, and
his 2nd victory in the event.
Mark Brown tied for 3rd
on -16, alongside amateurs Daniel Hillier (Manor Park) and Henry Spring
(Whakatane).
Another great tournament for
the Akarana Golf Club, and for the Jennian Homes Charles Tour series.
Jimenez defends at Fallen Oak
Yet another playoff resulted
at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, at the Fallen Oak Golf Club in
Mississippi. Miguel Angel Jimenez
prevailed over Gene Sauers – both had finished on -13 in regulation – on the first
playoff hole.
Expect plenty more from
Jimenez this year – he seems to have found a lucrative niche to play in, having
won the same tournament 12 months earlier, and plenty of money over the
intervening period as well. The
galleries of course love him.
New Zealander Grant Waite is
back on the Champions Tour, but finished well back in this event at T69 on +6.