The USGA and R&A have reacted to the latest TV viewer call-in drama involving Lexi Thompson at the ANA Inspiration by adding two rules, effective immediately.
The ruling bodies confirmed on Tuesday that Decision 34-3/10 has been enacted in the wake of the Thompson incident.
The new rules state that a player will not be penalised:
– when video evidence reveals things that could not reasonably be seen with the naked eye
– When a player has made a reasonable judgment
The Thompson incident:
Thompson was handed a four-stroke penalty during her final round when a viewer sent an email about her replacing her ball on the incorrect spot during the previous round. Video evidence later backed up the claim and Thompson was hit with a penalty for the incident, and then two further strokes for signing the incorrect score for round three. All this was revealed to her during the middle of her final round, where she eventually went on to lose a playoff.
The incident follows a string of viewer-related penalties, with Tiger Woods famously falling victim during the 2013 Masters when a viewer noticed the 14-time Major winner dropping his ball in the incorrect spot.
