Brittany Lang update

[jimsumner]

After three rounds of the U.S. Open, Lang is in fourth place, -5, two shots off the lead.

Final round tomorrow on Fox.

[Tripping William]

After three rounds of the U.S. Open, Lang is in fourth place, -5, two shots off the lead.

Final round tomorrow on Fox.

Great position, although Lydia Ko will be tough to catch.

[arnie]

Great position, although Lydia Ko will be tough to catch.

Brittany playing great golf and Ko has stumbled - she has as good a chance as anyone now (1 down after 11)

[DU82]

Brittany playing great golf and Ko has stumbled - she has as good a chance as anyone now (1 down after 11)

She is now tied for the lead with a fine birdie putt.

[sagegrouse]

Booyah!!!

Birdie on 16. Two holes left -- one shot lead.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Brit just birdied 16 to take a one shot lead!!!! Go Brit! LGD! GTHc!

[jimsumner]

Three putts on 17 leaves her tied for first with one hole left, a par five.

[killerleft]

Lang is tied after the first hole of a three hole playoff with Anna Nordqvist of Sweden.

[Pghdukie]

Thanks for the updates!

[killerleft]

Thanks for the updates!

You're welcome. Tied after 17. Lang with a 6-7 foot make there.

[sagegrouse]

You're welcome. Tied after 17. Lang with a 6-7 foot make there.

Oh, crap! The TV guys are getting into it and claim Anna Nordqvist touched the sand with her club prior to hitting the ball on 17. Hey guys, stay out of the story! It was imperceptible but likely to end the match.

[killerleft]

Nordqvist assessed 2-stroke penalty for moving sand before shot on 17. Lang, with two putts from 30 feet or so will win. Nordqvist has about 20 feet for birdie.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Brittany wins!!!!!!!!!!!

i feel sorry for Anna, but Duke gets all the calls. Thrilled for Brit!

[sagegrouse]

Congratulations, Brittany!

Headline: "Duke Gets All the Calls!"

[killerleft]

Lang wins with a par. Nordqvist three putts. Nordqvist moved one little piece of sand. But...

Duke has another National Champion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sagegrouse]

Congratulations, Brittany!

Headline: "Duke Gets All the Calls!"

Then the clueless USGA President introduces her as "Bethany" Lang.

[arnie]

Wow, had to leave before the playoff - great news and congrats to Brittany.

[Pghdukie]

Couldn't watch on tv. Thanks to the posters for the great news ! Cal and Ol Roy are having another fit !

[heyman25]

Lang wins with a par. Nordqvist three putts. Nordqvist moved one little piece of sand. But...

Duke has another National Champion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations to Brittany Lang.After all her years on the LPGA tour she gets a Major Title.
http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/16964418/penalty-anna-nordqvist-delivers-us-women-open-brittany-lang

[Reisen]

I actually saw her ground her club live, so wasn't surprised when I saw the camera crew had caught it as well. Yeah, it was a small amount of contact, but her club never should have been that low to begin with.

I also have a hard time believing she didn't know... Her reaction seemed off when they told her, and you'd think she would have felt it...

[SCMatt33]

I actually saw her ground her club live, so wasn't surprised when I saw the camera crew had caught it as well. Yeah, it was a small amount of contact, but her club never should have been that low to begin with.

I also have a hard time believing she didn't know... Her reaction seemed off when they told her, and you'd think she would have felt it...

I believe she didn't know. To me, the look she has when they told her was just that of "does not compute". There's just such s level of shock when you're told that. I mean, I was thinking when I saw it live "man, she's real close to the ground" but honestly assumed as a pro, she just knew what she was doing. You she even on the replay that she knocks over just a few grains of sand. Given the weight of the club, I can believe she didn't feel it.

As for telling them, I was surprised like the announcers that they told them after Ana hit but before Brittany. There's like a 99.9% chance that it didn't change the outcome, even though Brittany even said it altered the shot she hit. But given that Ana was already outside 20 feet, Brittany wasn't going to go pin hunting and bring the water into play, but it did take a freak misclub out of play.

[Furniture]

I think of it like this. If Ana had seen it she would have called it on herself and Brittany would have known there and then already enabling her to play the percentages. So as soon as the officials had checked it out they had to tell them as soon as possible.

[killerleft]

I think of it like this. If Ana had seen it she would have called it on herself and Brittany would have known there and then already enabling her to play the percentages. So as soon as the officials had checked it out they had to tell them as soon as possible.

This is true. And since Nordqvist's play after receiving notice was understandably unfocussed, the outcome would likely have been the same. Sad for her, but the rule is there for good reason. Which, for non-golfers, is so the players can't "test" the sand, or rearrange it, to improve their chances of making a good shot.

Great final round by Brittany! Two clutch birdies on the back nine, with only a nervy miss on 17 from about 5-6 feet. She deserved the win.

[Reisen]

I believe she didn't know. To me, the look she has when they told her was just that of "does not compute". There's just such s level of shock when you're told that. I mean, I was thinking when I saw it live "man, she's real close to the ground" but honestly assumed as a pro, she just knew what she was doing. You she even on the replay that she knocks over just a few grains of sand. Given the weight of the club, I can believe she didn't feel it.

As for telling them, I was surprised like the announcers that they told them after Ana hit but before Brittany. There's like a 99.9% chance that it didn't change the outcome, even though Brittany even said it altered the shot she hit. But given that Ana was already outside 20 feet, Brittany wasn't going to go pin hunting and bring the water into play, but it did take a freak misclub out of play.

Yeah. Maybe it's my natural cynicism, or I'm just being overly protective of a Duke player I went to school with (briefly) and have seen play in person a few times. But Nordqvist rubs me wrong here. I know she and Brittany are friends, but:

- I didn't like in the postgame interview how she alluded to the "35-40mph winds during my shot", hinting that maybe the wind blew the sand, not her club (she probably hadn't seen the replay yet, but there was no question).

- I didn't like that Nordqvist complained about the timing of the penalty, saying "I'm certainly disappointed in the timing of the penalty."

- She even went on to seemingly blame the USGA, saying ""It certainly changed her game plan. But, you know, hopefully we can all learn from it and hopefully we can all get better." I agree with Furniture that the USGA handled it fine. Even had the USGA told her before her shot, short of holing it, she still wouldn't have been able to extend the match. Seemingly, what she wanted was the information held from Brittany until after she had a chance to put it in the water, which I don't think is reasonable.

- It seems to me the only person that needs to learn something from this incident is Nordqvist, and that's not to waggle her clubhead a millimeter from the sand, which is one of the most basic things you learn in golf (Kind of like "You don't pass directly across the mouth of your own goal in soccer" or "You don't throw the ball straight up in the air before getting sacked in football").

[SCMatt33]

- I didn't like that Nordqvist complained about the timing of the penalty, saying "I'm certainly disappointed in the timing of the penalty."

- She even went on to seemingly blame the USGA, saying ""It certainly changed her game plan. But, you know, hopefully we can all learn from it and hopefully we can all get better." I agree with Furniture that the USGA handled it fine. Even had the USGA told her before her shot, short of holing it, she still wouldn't have been able to extend the match. Seemingly, what she wanted was the information held from Brittany until after she had a chance to put it in the water, which I don't think is reasonable.

So two thoughts here. I might be misremembering, but the first quote about being disappointed in the timing had as much if not more to do with not being told before she hit her own third shot. The USGA became aware of the replays about the same time we did as viewers, whic iirc, was between the tee shot and second shot. Why there wasn't someone telling an official with the group "hey, there may be a problem" I don't know. I'm sure they were a little gun shy to have players play in an ambiguous situation, but I find it hard to believe they didn't determine it was a penalty pretty quickly, once they saw the video. I'm not sure if the communication was relayed to someone walking with the group electronically, or if someone physically rode out to the group on a cart, but given that this is a playoff and there's only two people in course, there's no excuse not to be able to communicate to the group instantaneously. Ana ended up playing a safe shot to the middle of the green when she no doubt could have gone flag hunting. On Brittany's end, she fully admitted changing her stagegy, as there's no way she plays it to the right otherwise, but like I said before, that pretty much only turned a 99.8% situation into a 99.9% situation as she was never go to risk bringing the water into play, and even if she airmailed the green, Ana was already in a difficult position from which to make birdie. Had she been able to go flag hunting, it's maybe down to a 97-98% chance for Brittany, as Ana knocking it stiff absolutely would have made Brittany's two putt that much harder. Again, no one has seriously questioned the outcome or thinks that Ana had a chance robbed from her, but it was bad form for the USGA, and they deserve that criticism.

As for some of Ana's quotes, I think you're reading in between the lines a bit much. I presume she's not a native English speaker, and is therefore much less likely to be projecting subtext in that situation. I think all the players handled this pretty well, and thought it was quite classy of Brittany to not celebrate immediately on the green after her last putt. The USGA rightfully deserves criticism here from the way they handled the penalty to not even knowing the champion's name!!! The only good news is that penalty itself was completely unambiguous and no one went to sleep last night thinking the wrong person won the trophy...unless Ayesha Curry is a distant cousin of Ana's that is!

[duke79]

Yes...congrats to Brittany !! (and not to "Bethany", as the USGA President kept calling her during the awards ceremony. Does that woman have a clue?) Well-deserved win after a solid, but not many wins, 10-year (or so) career on the LPGA tour. She played great on the last day and hung tough in the playoff. Admittedly, it was a somewhat crazy way to end the playoff but golf can be a crazy (and unfair) game. I actually felt sorry for her opponent, under the circumstances.

I know there has been some criticism of Norquist for some of her comments after the playoff ended, but I'm sure she was in somewhat of a state of shock to lose in that manner. I certainly wouldn't be thinking straight in that situation.

I also have to admit that, as a lifelong golfer, I feel somewhat uneasy with the ways the rules are being enforced in some of these televised, professional tournaments. I think you can argue that we have had "selective prosecution" of some of the rules where players who have unknowingly committed infractions are subsequently "outed" by the bad luck of having their infractions televised by high definition TV cameras. If Ana Norquist had barely touched the sand with her club on the first hole, there would have been no penalty because of no TV coverage on that hole. I know you can argue that rules are rules and should be enforced whenever broken but I still can't help but feel there is a certain unfairness to how they are being enforced in certain cases. It did not affect Dustin Johnson's win at the US Open but it certainly cost Norquist the possibility of a win at the Women's US Open. I wonder if perhaps the USGA should make a rule for professional tournaments that if a rules infraction is not discovered and imposed by the time a player completes the hole on which they are playing (and incur the infraction), then the penalty can not be imposed 5 or 6 holes later?

[Reisen]

To me, it matters what rule was broken. In Nordqvist's case, she committed an action that, while slight, is a penalty. To me, that's different from situations where, for example, a ball moves on its own after being addressed. Those are the ones that bug me / seem unfair.

[rsvman]

I was happy for Brittany.

I don't think Anna touched the sand on purpose and I don't believe she knew that she touched the sand. I thought, given the circumstances, that she actually handled the situation admirably. I know if I were in her shoes and had just been told (after hitting my approach shot on the third playoff hole) that I was being given a 2-stroke penalty when I was unaware that I had touched the sand, I would probably have reacted a LOT more than she did. She looked a bit puzzled, and then said, "OK." Just like that.

Anyway, great win for Brittany. She has been a solid player for a long, long time. It's great for her to get a major, especially the U.S. Open.

[killerleft]

Yes...congrats to Brittany !! (and not to "Bethany", as the USGA President kept calling her during the awards ceremony. Does that woman have a clue?) Well-deserved win after a solid, but not many wins, 10-year (or so) career on the LPGA tour. She played great on the last day and hung tough in the playoff. Admittedly, it was a somewhat crazy way to end the playoff but golf can be a crazy (and unfair) game. I actually felt sorry for her opponent, under the circumstances.

I know there has been some criticism of Norquist for some of her comments after the playoff ended, but I'm sure she was in somewhat of a state of shock to lose in that manner. I certainly wouldn't be thinking straight in that situation.

I also have to admit that, as a lifelong golfer, I feel somewhat uneasy with the ways the rules are being enforced in some of these televised, professional tournaments. I think you can argue that we have had "selective prosecution" of some of the rules where players who have unknowingly committed infractions are subsequently "outed" by the bad luck of having their infractions televised by high definition TV cameras. If Ana Norquist had barely touched the sand with her club on the first hole, there would have been no penalty because of no TV coverage on that hole. I know you can argue that rules are rules and should be enforced whenever broken but I still can't help but feel there is a certain unfairness to how they are being enforced in certain cases. It did not affect Dustin Johnson's win at the US Open but it certainly cost Norquist the possibility of a win at the Women's US Open. I wonder if perhaps the USGA should make a rule for professional tournaments that if a rules infraction is not discovered and imposed by the time a player completes the hole on which they are playing (and incur the infraction), then the penalty can not be imposed 5 or 6 holes later?

I told my wife as it happened that I wished the cameraman hadn't noticed the sand move. But he did. What if he saw it but didn't report it? I don't like that scenario any better. Brittany absolutely deserved the two-stroke penalty benefit. Not receiving it would have cheated HER. Anna only got what she deserved. I have no real problem with Anna's post-match comments, unless she had already seen the video.

[sagegrouse]

To me, it matters what rule was broken. In Nordqvist's case, she committed an action that, while slight, is a penalty. To me, that's different from situations where, for example, a ball moves on its own after being addressed. Those are the ones that bug me / seem unfair.

I have a couple of general problems:


I don't like "death by telephoto lens," when only a high-res camera could spot a movement imperceptible to the naked eye. There have been problems IIRC (and there is always a first time) in "movement of the ball" on the green or elsewhere, where the movement was on the order of 1/64th of an inch (4 mm.?). Heck on these fast greens, anything could cause a slight movement. I believe either the PGA or the USGA has said that certain amounts of tiny movement can be ignored.
I also don't like "death by TV network," where the broadcast team notifies the officials. Yeah, I understand why it's reasonable, but I don't like it -- "the media" shouldn't be the story.



But I understand how others would have different views.

[duke79]

I have a couple of general problems:


I don't like "death by telephoto lens," when only a high-res camera could spot a movement imperceptible to the naked eye. There have been problems IIRC (and there is always a first time) in "movement of the ball" on the green or elsewhere, where the movement was on the order of 1/64th of an inch (4 mm.?). Heck on these fast greens, anything could cause a slight movement. I believe either the PGA or the USGA has said that certain amounts of tiny movement can be ignored.
I also don't like "death by TV network," where the broadcast team notifies the officials. Yeah, I understand why it's reasonable, but I don't like it -- "the media" shouldn't be the story.



But I understand how others would have different views.

I agree with you on both your points. Seems like the rules officials in golf (esp. for televised, professional golf) are going down a slippery slope with some of their decisions. Would not surprise me to see a player sue the USGA or the PGA at some point over a disputed ruling.

[rsvman]

Could be worse. Nothing has yet topped the Roberto DeVincenzo debacle at the Masters (or was it the U.S. Open?).

[rasputin]

Could be worse. Nothing has yet topped the Roberto DeVincenzo debacle at the Masters (or was it the U.S. Open?).

Masters.

[sagegrouse]

Masters.

Signed wrong scorecard in the 4th round when he was set for a playoff vs. Bob Goalby. Twas his 45th birthday.

[rsvman]

Signed wrong scorecard in the 4th round when he was set for a playoff vs. Bob Goalby. Twas his 45th birthday.

Right. And if memory serves, the scorecard he accidentally signed actually said he had one stroke MORE than he did.

[SCMatt33]

Right. And if memory serves, the scorecard he accidentally signed actually said he had one stroke MORE than he did.

Correct. An important distinction since he simply had to accept the score he signed for instead of being disqualified entirely. Still not much of a consolation, but still got second place.