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SPORTS Tuesday 13 March 2018

USGA, R&A announce new set of modern rules for golf

By DOUG FERGUSON wants to see a tournament
AP Golf Writer decided by a spike mark in
Golf now has a modern set the line of a putt.
of rules for the Royal & An- "It's the skill we're testing,"
cient game, an extensive he said. "We're not testing
overhaul that took six years whether you can navigate
and is aimed at making the around a shoe print. Really
rules easier to understand. it allows for great equity
The R&A and USGA an- across the field."
nounced the final version — Eliminating the pen-
of modernized rules on alty for removing loose
Monday. They take effect impediments in a bunker
in 2019. and the general touching
"This was out of recogni- of sand with the hand or
tion that in trying to make club (without grounding
the rules more fair, they be- the club next to the ball).
came too complicated," Also, players can declare
said Thomas Pagel, the US- a ball to be unplayable in
GA's senior director of rules a bunker, take a two-shot
and amateur status. "With penalty and play from out-
30-plus years of tinkering, In this June 19, 2016, file photo, Dustin Johnson, right, talks to a rules official on the fifth green dur- side the bunker.
they got complicated, ing the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. The modern rules are avail-
and that wasn't good for Associated Press able at www.usga.org/
the game." rules or at www.RandA.org
Among the changes will think committees will be One rule is only for recre- the putting surface. Pagel . The tours are likely to pro-
be how to take penalty able to reach the right ational golf. Starting next said pace-of-play policies vide training packages or
drops — from knee-high conclusion without having year, a local rule will let would keep that from hap- seminars to get players up
length starting next year, 1,300 fact sets," Pagel said. golfers simply drop a ball pening, and it was a rule to speed before the new
instead of from shoulder The modernization project that goes out-of-bounds in change that was needed rules go into effect next
height. There no longer will began with a meeting at the vicinity of where it went for competition. No one year.q
be penalties if a golf ball St. Andrews in April 2012 out — even if that means
accidentally moves on the among the R&A, USGA, the fairway — with an ad- Tinnerholm,
green, if a club touches PGA Tour and European ditional two-shot penalty.
the ground in a hazard or if Tour. They introduced a That was done for pace Villa help NYCFC
the ball hits a flagstick that proposed draft a year ago of play and will not be ap-
is not being tended on the and during six months of and other elite competi- beat Galaxy 2-1
plied in professional golf
green. public feedback received
Also, caddies can no lon- some 30,000 comments tions. NEW YORK (AP) — Anton rifled it off the crossbar.
ger line up their players from 102 countries through Other changes include: Tinnerholm had his first Sean Johnson made a div-
while they are setting up surveys, social media and — Eliminating penalties MLS goal and David Villa ing save of a sliding half-
over a shot. phone calls. for accidentally moving a scored another to help volley by Ola Kamara in
This is the most comprehen- The original proposal was ball in the green or while New York City FC beat the the 27th and Villa made it
sive change to the rules for players to drop the ball searching for a lost ball. Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 on 2-0 in the 33rd. Medina, on
since the first set was pub- 2 inches from the ground. — Players will have only Sunday. a counter-attack break-
lished in 1744, only in this Pagel said there were con- three minutes to search for Tinnerholm blasted a away, touched it around
case, the book got smaller. cerns that it was too close a lost ball instead of five left-footed volley to give a defender and then fed
There now are 24 rules in- to the ground. The idea minutes. NYCFC (2-0-0) the lead a left-footed cross to Ben
stead of 34, and "The Of- was to get the ball back in — Players now can repair in the 22nd minute. Villa’s Sweatt, whose shot from
ficial Guide to the Rules of play, and knee-high length spike marks or shoe prints cross, off a feed from Je- near the spot was stopped
Golf" replaces about 1,300 was determined to keep on the putting green. Some sus Medina, deflected by a charging David Bing-
examples in the Decisions the ball from bouncing players expressed con- high off Michael Ciani and ham. Villa tapped the
book. away from the right area cern that this might slow Tinnerholm, a 27-year-old rebound into the open
"With revised rules being and keep some random- the pace if players spent
easier to understand, we ness to how it lies. too much time grooming defender from Sweden, net.q