Congrats David Eger. People like you are why pro golf will never be more popular.

If the rules say that a player is DQ'd for signing off on a wrong scorecard than there better be an official on every single hole to monitor every single drop. I love golf, but the sheer number of rules and the detail involved is beyond ridiculous for an individual golfer to know and understand completely, especially in the moment.

I think it should be illegal to use video footage or after round interviews to determine a ruling after a player has signed their scorecard. Basically if it's not caught during the shot by the players in your group or a ruling official...then you can't double back and penalize someone for it the next day. Thats kind of crazy

This type of chicken manure is why it’s tough to grow the game. If it’s a penalty it should be one shot at most. 2 yards is not a material advantage. The idea he should be DQ or withdraw is absurd. It’s like ejecting a football player for jumping offsides. Some golf people need to come down off their phony high horse.

If no one came up to him before he signed the scorecard then how would he know he’s at fault?

I typically do not post comments on KZfaq, but I feel I should on this video. The Masters is contested under USGA rules. Rule 3.3 governs stroke play. Under 3.3b(3), the rule states that if a player returns a score lower than the actual score recorded, that player is disqualified. HOWEVER, there is an exception to 3.3b(3) for “Failure to Include Unknown Penalty.” Under the exception, the player is not disqualified if the mistake is found before the close of competition and the committee will revise the player’s score for that hole by adding the correct penalty strokes. In Tiger’s case, a two stroke penalty. Mr. Ridley and the competition committee broadly interpreted the word “competition” for purposes of their finding. If the exception specified by the close of a “round,” then this would be a different situation. Under the circumstances - namely that the competition committee and its chair Mr. Ridley were aware of a potential rules breach - the punishment Tiger received was fair. The penalty strokes were correctly added to his score before the close of competition as Tiger unknowingly failed to include the penalty. A side note is that Tiger’s playing partner also missed the penalty, and when both Tiger and his partner certified the score they had not been made aware of any potential rules breach. Accordingly, the exception applies.

Since this video is on the theme of accuracy and the correction of error, they shouldn’t say “Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National,” as he was not such at the time. He was in fact, chairman of the competition committee, which is what made him the relevant official in this rules case. 2 shot penalty for GD. ;)

Enjoyed this very much. A good reminder that golf rules are absurd sometimes and not helping the game. There are rules officials everywhere and also opponents..stuff like this should be discussed/disputed during or right after the round. No video footage or interview should change things. Clearly, Tiger did not gain advantage or did anything to intentionally gain an advantage. People who believed Tiger should have withdrawn because of this are clowns.

This is like calling the NBA during the Finals to tell the commissioner someone traveled and then changing the score of the game the next day.

6 years later he got his comeback win

If he wasn't Tiger Woods and was just a "regular" golfer in that position, I doubt Egan would be so interested in his score that he would have replayed the incident and texted the official. Also, a "regular" golfer in that position probably wouldn't have been interviewed at all. I'm not saying anything or anyone was right or wrong; it's just something to think about.

Enjoyed watching this video. Would love to see more videos like this where Golf Digest look at other major moments in golf history during other Major tournaments.

He was within two club lengths which most assume is the standard for a drop. Too many Karens in the world.

Tiger took his penalty after a drop. How a player is meant to know every subtlety to every single rule without an official being there at every shot to assess it, is absolutely ridiculous, and those calling for a disqualification after this should give their heads a wobble. Tiger gained no advantage. Let's stop this absolute idiocy, for him and for every other golfer out there. It's pedantic BS that is ruining the pleasure of the game for everyone.

I do not remember this happening, but I was not really into golf, as I am today. I have never seen a drop where there is not a Rules official standing by to watch. How can you penalize someone when a Rules official is right there telling you what is ok and NOT ok?

*old man watches tv* Also old man: I'm going to involve myself

The pronunciation of Worcester was brutal

This was a really interesting watch! Thanks Golf Digest!

I was there in '68 when Roberto De Vicenzo incorrectly signed his score card. He was assessed a 2 stroke penalty and giving the win to Bob Goalby!

The best rule change the PGA has made was to stop 🛑 call in rule infractions. I’ve nevered liked the fact that someone sitting on a sofa only watching 0.005 % of all the golf shots in a tournament can get a player penalised

Buried the lede on this. The Ridley and Eger relationship and Ridleys knowledge of the rule being broken before the round ended is more interesting.

How do you sign for an incorrect scorecard if no one said anything about the violation until after the round? Put officials on every hole and make the call on the spot if you are going to enforce that.

On day one of masters at the 12. Dustin Johnson played ball back onto green, when he marked his ball he can be seen pushing ball forward with his finger a small amount before placing coin down...

Gotta say, this video, and the narration tops my list

Tigers career and run at being the best ever, ended with the 9 iron heard round the world... Elin's 9 iron. After that he has played in shell shock and was never the same.

Great job on the editing and the suspenseful music was great 👏🏽

Before I even watched, I always thought he could’ve won that masters if that unfortunate hole 15 didn’t happen.

No the 14 hours that changed his career were the ones after his wife chased him down the driveway with a golf club.

Who’s the narrator he’s freaking amazing

How exactly did that incident change Tiger Woods career?

Great video well made!

TIger did not sign an incorrect scorecard. It was correct at the time he signed it. That's like saying you signed a contract, then someone makes a change to the contract afterwards, and then you get punished for not following the contract.

Golf is a great game..and it needs to be held to a higher standard because of all the variables involved.. and it's a game that needs to be self governing because it's a one of honor and honesty. But sometimes it just goes too far. It's obvious that Tiger himself didn't know what he'd done. I always thought the rule was you can drop NO CLOSER to the hole but as far back as you wanted. As long as it's on the same line as the previous shot. I too learned something that day. Now, I'm not a big fan of Tiger, especially back then, I always found him to be a bit cold and self egrandizing...but I've warmed up to him as he's gotten older, as it tends to mellow us all. It should have cost him a single penalty shot and that's it.. and the 3 shot penalty was more than enough. But he took it and moved on. Much respect for that btw. But DQd for signing an incorrect scorecard? Absolutely stupid. Roberto DiVincenzo would definitely agree. It's not like either man intended to do wrong. It was an honest mistake because, after all, we are all human. And Roberto got the waaaay worse end of that deal for the record. I mean, that's a life changer! And he woulda finished one higher than he did! Golf has made great strides in becoming more of a people's game, especially in recent times. The rule changes in the last few years alone are testament to that..(I can't think of any off the top of my head except for leaving the flag in being okay on putts..which drives me crazy btw..but hey, if it speeds things up, what's the harm?) But we need to get a grip on some of these extremities..now the line is blurry, I'll admit. But is it necessary to have a rules official come in to tell you (after a 15 minute delay) to play your ball as it lies because you thought you saw it move? And does everyone that has access to a 4k replayable telly have the power to call in these infractions? Btw, what's that phone number? Lol. I mean, come on..the game is slow enough, isn't it?

But the onus of the infraction shifted to Augusta National after they failed to assess a penalty in their first review. The fact that he signed a wrong scorecard was their fault.

The officials could have handled this in a much better way. Yes, it sounds like Tiger committed the infraction, but the officials had a chance to talk with him before he signed his card. So I am thinking that behind closed doors the next morning, Tiger called them out for it and that is why disqualification was taken off the table.

This ridiculous suspense music like we're talking about uncovering a murder mystery.

This is why pros call in a rules official for even the simplest rulings. Just in case.

The real story is what an absurdly bad break that was. We will never know for sure but it’s pretty obvious he was going to win that year. He was completely locked in. Love him or hate him Tiger is the GOAT.

The whole signing an incorrect score card is a penalty is stupid unless you do so purposefully. He thought the card was correct when he signed it so him signing it while it technically being incorrect shouldn't matter. The two stroke penalty was more than fair for the infraction.

I remember when Craig Stadler's ball ended up under a bush. He placed a towel on the ground so he could kneel on the towel and not stain his pants as he hit the shot. He was assessed a 2 stroke penalty for improving his stance. The rules are the rules, he was told. The rule was realized to be stupid and later was changed to allow placement of a towel. Well as much as I love Tiger, he should have been DQ'd for signing a lower score. The rules are the rules. That said, Augusta officials were made aware that a violation might have occurred , well before Tiger signed the card. They could have notified him of that so he could of held off signing the card until a ruling was made. Finally, what is "as close as possible"? Yes 2 yards is not "as close as possible, but then 2 inches isn't as close as possible either. Neither is 1/2 an inch etc. Rule needs to be clarified. I still can't believe that Tiger and Williams made the mistake of not finding the divot hole he made on the previous shot before dropping a ball or they could have called for a ruling.

Was Secret Base involved with this?

As far as the flag pole, everyone else was playing with the same ones so all is good.

Him needing to apologize was absurd.

Woods and Cabrera were my bets that year. Cabrera was 100-1.

Had Tiger only gone 1 yard back for the drop he would have holed out for 5. He hit the next shot to like a foot straight at the pin again. (A fact which this video brushes over by saying "he got up and down") Had Tiger made the correct drop he may have run away with the tournament after the moment that would have been.

There are some rules that definitely need to be changed. Even Nicklaus said that no player should ever incur a two shot penalty for hitting one bad shot. Signing an incorrect card shouldn't be a disqualification unless the player knowingly and blatantly cheated. Obviously this wasn't the case here. Otherwise, Tiger wouldn't have openly admitted to dropping 2 yds back. The fact that they reviewed it before he finished his round shows its their fault he signed the wrong score. Another crazy fact about rules: the player is only responsible for their score on each hole, not the total score. In other words, a player can write down and sign a total score different than what their 18 hole score is and not be penalized because they're not responsible for the math, only their score on each individual hole.

The 2 stroke penalty was more than enough. I think however its Tigers personal life that changed his career not this one incident. Tiger is up there probably the 2nd best golfer of all time, sadly we will never know if he would have made it to no 1.

What I'd like to know more about is the original intent of the rule and other rules. My impression of most if not all of them is to not give yourself an unfair advantage after a poor shot and to take your penalty for such a shot. If that's the "spirit" of why the rules are there in the first place, it seems to me taking a lie within the general area and taking his stroke are well within the intent of play. You could also argue I suppose that he chose 2 yards back for some perceived advantage, but then you'd be arguing about the state of mind of the player (Tiger in this case), and 2 yards back could be interpreted as a better lie or just a safety margin so you don't get accused of putting the ball closer to the hole. Point is, it gets muddy, and old dudes on the couch should chill out.

Video was done very well

How can you sign for the wrong score when it's only determined by spectator and officials after the round has concluded and cards signed, that it was 'wrong'?

I feel like this video is trying to whisper to me. The volume level is so low.

It just amazes me how someone not even involved in the tournament, or even at the tournament, can change the tournament. No other sports would even consider this.

Golf rules in general need a major overhaul. The ball in a divot, defining nearest point of relief, lost ball search time, and many many more

is this made by the guy that does Rewinder on SB Nation?

"Changed the course of his career" is a tad hyperbolic. By April 2013, he had won 77 titles, 14 of them majors. He's either 1 or 2 on everybody's ranking of the top golfers of all time. One additional major wouldn't influence anyone who has him at #2 to move him to #1.

I think it was the right decision to not DQ him because Ridley messed up by choosing to ignore it in the first place. They should have pulled Tiger in immediately after his round and asked him about it. He would have mentioned the 2 yards and they would have known immediately it was a penalty and it would have been corrected before he signed his card.

Now discuss John Rahm's Provisional ball on 18 yesterday at Augusta. Oh, imagine the controversy! Lots of rules geniuses in the GD camp; probably not many good players.

I _also_ like Rewinder at Secret Base.

The thicker flag stick is against the rules

Had Tiger won, this might have been an sports historic event. But he didn't, and I hadn't thought about it until this upload popped up. Cheers.

It says why the the disqualification wasn't;t applied in the text that you blurred out. It says was waived by the committee as they had previously reviewed the information and ruled it ok, prior to the end of Tiger's round. You should have mentioned that, IMO.

GREATVIDEO! It's also "woos-ster "Massachusetts! Everyone does it 😂💙🙌

Interesting backstory. Could we pick up the pace a bit though? Nearly as slow as a Patrick Cantlay round.

Good video. I forgot about this. Worcester CC is pronounced wuhster like Worcestershire sauce.

Ten years later and nobody's still gotten the full story. ;)

TW did not know the letter of the rule. He did a weekenders duffers drop: in the vicinity, further back, making sure the lie was no closer to the hole. As far as DQ, I think the rational was that "the player" signed a "correct" (i.e. not in error: "whoops, I forgot to count a stoke...") scorecard that was amended later by the rules committee on a judgement call.

The dramatic murderer music was a bit much

If you hit the flag on the full, you should have the option of replaying the shot.

Crazy that he hit the stick on the 15th again today in his 2nd round… @ 9:21 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h9-GntWevJzYp3k.html&feature=share

Everyone arguing about if he deserved the penalty and I'm annoyed by Worcester being pronounced wrong

The rule was changed before he even entered the tournament. It applied to everyone playing. The rule was enforced exactly as it should have been. Tiger did not lie about what he did. Anyone that thinks Tiger should have withdrew or be dq'ed are ignorant of the rule, can't read so they can read the rule or were just tired of Tiger kicking their rears day after day. I think it's mostly the last one.

Wow what a story . I watched all of this 11 years ago and I never knew. All I focused on was the story about the players and caddies questioning the different flag poles. Why wasn't this investigated more. Weird or ironic

1. Golf is a sport of insane accuracy. Knowingly dropping your ball 2 yards back because you know that'll make your shot more likely to fall is cheating. Period. 2. Tiger attempting to crush LIV Golf because it affects the value of his own personal records and jeopardizes the PGA because it may become as irrelevant as the ABA is equally disturbing. You have to be a diehard Tiger fan to completely ignore #1. My second point is far more controversial, but him and Rory were wrong to stand in the way of LIV. Sucks for them but great for the game and for those who haven't made millions in their tour quests.

Very nice video. He was very unfortunate hitting the pin mainly. I still think THE turning point of his career is his m losing his lead for the first time ever at the 2009 PGA.

The Masters has had a long history of bending the rules for stars. Ask Ken Venturi.....

Reading the comments here I'm reminded of the youngsters who defended the juicers in MLB back in the 90's and beyond. Apparently when something like this involves their favorite player they feel compelled to rationalize and defend Woods' decision. While the chairman deserves some blame for his initial decision, it's up to the golfer to know the rules. This would never have happened with Nicklaus imho.

I can’t tell if this is a “rules are rules” situation or “bitches be cray”

2.1b/3 - Hole Not Played by The Rules of Golf in General Play Where a player has breached the Rules of Golf in general play and knowingly failed to apply the correct penalty, the score should not generally be accepted for handicap purposes. However, depending on the circumstances, the Committee has the discretion to produce an acceptable score by: Recording the actual score for the hole, or Adjusting the hole score using net double bogey

Man, the production quality of this is great, but it's so lame we can't see actual footage.

Can we all just agree that Brandel Chamblee is a massive tool?

Just an FYI… Ridley wasn’t the Chairman in 2013, it was Billy Payne. Ridley was the Head of Rules

I have a memory of John Houston hitting several shots into water on a par 5 at Agusta and after each going many yards back after each to play the next. He took a one stroke penalty after each. In Tiger's case, was this a local rule just for this particular hole?

9:06 that "article" has nothing to do with the headline. lol, why do that, just find a real article somewhere

Brutal video

This was a very unfortunate event to say the least

Way too dramatic, this should have been a 4 minute video

How did this video fail to fully explain the ruling?

Was the voice audio recorded on a potato?

Good video, but get a better mic Golf Digest

Seems a lot of people here love Tiger more than they do golf. An imperfect golfer was held accountable for an improper drop. I'm sure Tiger appreciates the enablers and has had them most of his life.

Well there you go, I wonder if Tiger was confusing the drop with the rule for dropping the ball in line with where it enters the hazard?

Great video but you absolutely did not pronounce Worcester right 😂

Billy Payne was the Chairman of the Club back then. I think Ridley was the chairman of the competition committee. And, Tiger was in the wrong. He admitted it in the interview, even if there was no malicious intent. Augusta should have disqualified him, as they would have anyone else. Roberto DeVicenzo was denied a shot at a playoff in 1968 because his playing partner wrote the wrong score down on one hole. DeVicenzo signed the card because the total score was correct, but, when you sign a card, it’s not the total, but the scores for each hole that matters. Tiger claimed a lower score than he rightfully earned. That should be a dq.

Tiger always telling on himself 😂😂

The video stopped its review of Augusta’s statement before the operative paragraph at the bottom. They waived the dq penalty because the rules officials (Ridley) knew of the violation before Tiger signed his scorecard and by not telling Tiger denied him the opportunity to correct the error. If Tiger made an incorrect drop bc he didn’t know the rule and then signed the card he would/should be dq bc it is his responsibility to know the rules. Easy. What if a rules official gave him incorrect information on a drop and he relied on that information, would he be dq? That seems unfair. Is it the same thing if a rules official knows Tiger is breaking a rule and doesn’t stop him?

Dramatising a little ball position mistake like Flight MH370 story is simply frustrating for me

"As close as possible." That is a very nebulous rule and definition. Comparing it to a "ball moving" when you address it is ridiculous. Tiger had no intent to cheat or gain advantage. This is actually an unfair ruling. How much of this ruling is simply jealousy about one of the most talented golfers of all time.

What hole was the par 2?????? When you showed Tiger's "apparent" scorecard, why is there a par 2 showing?

Something like this happened at the par three with Tiger. Can't there be a rule about hitting a flagstick and getting a mulligan?

What was unfair was the flagstick, not the drop.