Hey Kids: Sign Your Scorecards!

It is truly unfortunate that Michelle Wie, who had been playing her best golf of this year, was disqualified for leaving the scoring tent without signing her scorecard. At 5 under, the 67 she put on the board this Saturday, which brought her to 17 under for the tournament and 1 stoke behind Yani Tseng.

“I don’t know why or how it happened,” said Wie, who had been crying moments earlier. She took no questions before leaving the clubhouse at Panther Creek Country Club.

According to an ESPN.Com report, Sue Witters, the LPGA’s director of tournament competitions, disqualified Wie in a small office in an LPGA trailer at the golf course after asking her what had happened.

“She was like a little kid after you tell them there’s no Santa Claus,” Witters said.

According to a statement released Saturday by the LPGA, Wie’s failure to sign her scorecard was a violation of Rule 6-6b, according to The Rules of Golf and confirmed by the USGA.

The rule states: “After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.”

With the area of the scoring tent clearly marked, Michelle Wie “thought it would be okay”. Of course, these things happen but it is these mistakes that cost golfers at this level a lot of money and embarrassment.  To make the matter worse, this is not the first time this has happened to Wie either. During the third round of the 2005 Samsung Championship, which was her professional debut, she was disqualified for taking an improper drop.

~ by Moby on July 19, 2008.