Laws are there to protect not punish

TOURING professionals have a reputation of seeking relief from every type of hazard in the cut-throat competition of the golf circuit but will never, ever, make a personal judgement in doubtful circumstances.

The very nature of the game means there always is the possibility of a golf ball wandering off-line to present the player with a bizarre problem. That is why the PGA will always have a referee on hand.

Golf abounds with stories of the weird and wonderful of rooks swooping down from on high to filch balls off fairways, of balls rolling into broken bottles á la Harry Bradshaw.

Bradshaw chose not to wait for a ruling from a referee and instead smashed his club into the remains of the bottle to move his ball forward. It was a decision that may have cost him the British Open at Sandwich in 1949.

A couple of years ago at the Irish Open in Fota Island I watched while Ian Woosnam waited for a ruling from the referee on the 18th hole. Woosnam had cut his tee shot into the trees and believed the ball was lying on grass cuttings and so sought a free drop.

My memory of the incident is that his request was turned down. Woosnam knocked his ball out diagonally, pitched a sand iron to eight feet and holed for a birdie anyway. But the point was it was the referee's responsibility to rule on the issue.

The laws of the game are quite specific about damage to the putting green. Players are entitled to repair pitch marks and the area where the hole was formerly cut; they must seek a ruling in any other circumstances.

Pádraig Harrington was obliged by the laws of the game to check Jose Maria Olazabal when he proceeded to repair the third green during their match in Valencia.

Once there was a doubt as to whether it was a pitch mark or not then Olazabal could not touch the ground without incurring a penalty.

Denis O'Sullivan, the Cork-based pro who has just had his best season on the European seniors tour, yesterday commented: "I believe the greens in Valencia were bad, were horrible in fact, and in such circumstances guys will want to repair everything.

"But if there is any question about the cause of the problem then players have no right at all to touch the line of the putt without the referee ruling it is completely and utterly wrong.

"Pádraig is not an aggressive person and he would play very much within the rules at all times. Some players will attempt to stretch the rules as far as they can but Pádraig is not one of them and he is not given to any form of gamesmanship.

"If there was any doubt at all about what caused the mark on the green then Olazabal was obliged to ask for a ruling. Even if he had asked Pádraig for an opinion he could not proceed. They would both be guilty of breaking the rules unless it was beyond question that it was a pitch mark."

The fact that Olazabal immediately conceded the hole when Harrington questioned his action may or may not have been significant. It was the easiest thing in the world to seek a ruling because in matchplay there is a referee accompanying each match.

Reports indicated that Olazabal reacted badly to Harrington's challenge and that was unusual. One of golf's most redeeming features is the enduring sense of fair play and sportsmanship.

Harrington epitomised that himself when he was disqualified just before the final round of the PGA championship at the Belfry last year. He was ruled out of a championship he seemed set to win on a technicality.

He accepted his fate with graciousness, just as England's Mark Roe did when he was ruled out of the British Open this summer.

Most amateurs will opine that professionals are too often indulged by referees but that is not important. What is important is that rulings are consistent and delivered by unbiased and qualified personnel.

It is in everybody's interest that this procedure is rigidly adhered to. The laws of the game are there to protect the players, not punish them. There is an obligation on players to ensure they are enforced.