Stricker latest to get trial by TV treatment

The way it’s going lately, it can’t be a major championship unless someone calls in to report a rules violation.

This time, the USGA talked to the player before he signed his card. And unlike Tiger Woods at the Masters, it turns out Steve Stricker did nothing wrong on the par-3 third hole except for a bad tee shot that led to a double bogey.

USGA vice president Thomas O’Toole met with Stricker right after he birdied his last hole for a 1-over 71. O’Toole said a call came in that Stricker improved his lie in an area where he intended to take a penalty drop by walking back and forth on the thick grass. His tee shot went on the edge of a bunker in the trees short and left of the green. The rules official determined it was not in a bunker, and Stricker took a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie because a tree got in the way of his swing. With the elevated green, he walked up the hill a few times to see the flag. O’Toole said the viewer suggested Stricker trampled the grass where he was to drop the ball.