That bizarre DQ in Del Monte

What happened at Del Monte could be the first time in the history of professional golf that the top three placers were disqualified on the final day of the tournament.

It is sad and a frustrating thing to occur considering the financial losses involved and so it is understandable that those affected must be pretty emotional right now.

(As a result of the disqualification, Cassius Casas was declared the winner of the ICTSI Del Monte championship—Ed)

We then need to look at what happened from a purely objective viewpoint. As of this writing, no one has refuted the investigation of the Tournament Committee which determined that Elmer Salvador hit a pitch that came to rest 6 inches from the hole. As he moved forward to mark his ball, he suddenly backed off and allowed his flight mates Juvic Pagunsan and Richard Sinfuego to hit their pitch shots before he finally marked and lifted his ball.

However, another pro had heard Pagunsan and Sinfuego asking Salvador not to mark his ball and the investigation revealed that they did so because they wanted Salvador’s ball to act as a backstop in case their balls rolled past the hole. Unfortunately, Decision 22-6 describes this situation and metes out a penalty of disqualification. All three players were disqualified which begs the following questions:

Did Pagunsan and Sinfuego ask Salvador not to mark his ball? They have admitted this and the only reason they would do this is so it could be to their advantage.

Did Salvador agree not to mark his ball? Of course. The fact that he stopped and backed off from marking his ball meant he agreed not to mark his ball. His actions showed he agreed.

Should the referee have intervened? For an observer/spectator watching from a distance and out of earshot, there will appear to be nothing amiss. Golfers do move forward to mark their ball then suddenly change their mind and back off because they may be stepping on the line or they may be disturbing another player by their movements. This is definitely not a case where a referee should come rushing in to intervene.

Could the intervention of the referee have saved them from disqualification? Open for debate. The way the rule is written, it would appear that the moment both players agreed not to lift the ball they were already considered disqualified.

Did the committee need to ascertain that the ball would assist the competitor? Rule 22-1 is very clear: “In stroke play, if the Committee determines that the competitors have agreed not to lift a ball that might assist any competitor, they are disqualified.”

The operative word here is might.

As long as there is any chance that the ball could assist any competitor, and the players agree not to lift the ball, they are disqualified. That could include any ball on the green whether in the line of play or not. So really, the agreement is the key to the whole thing.

(Buddy Resurreccion also serves as a rulesman for the Asian Tour and the Mercedes Benz Tour.)