Larry Brown Sports

Tiger Woods admitted after shooting a 70 in the third round of the Masters Saturday that the controversy over his improper drop distracted him, but he did not consider disqualifying himself.

Woods spoke with CBS’ Bill Macatee following his third round and said it wasn’t until Saturday morning that he learned there might be an issue with the drop he took on the 15th hole Friday. Macatee asked if Tiger thought about disqualifying himself for signing an incorrect scorecard, but he said he did not.

“No, because under the rules of golf I’m abiding by the rules,” Woods answered. “They made the determination that nothing had happened yesterday. After what I had said, things changed and they called me in this morning and I got a two-shot penalty.”

Macatee asked Woods if he felt the two-shot penalty was fair, and he said yes.

“Absolutely. I made a mistake. Under the rules of golf, I took an improper drop and got the penalty.”

Woods also admitted that the controversy distracted him.

“Well, it was certainly a distraction early with the routine, but like anything it happens and you move on. I was ready to play come gametime.”

The Augusta National competition committee said disqualification wasn’t even being considered for Woods. Tiger said earlier in the day that he didn’t knowingly break a rule, which is why the committee felt a disqualification would be unfair. Woods is four shots behind co-leaders Angel Cabrera and Brandt Snedeker entering the final round.

Graphic via Deadspin

Tiger Woods avoided disqualification at the Masters on Saturday morning after the Augusta National rules committee determined that he committed a violation with his drop on the 15th hole during the second round of the tournament. Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty, as it was determined that he did not knowingly break a rule and was not aware that he had done so when he signed his scorecard on Friday.

On Saturday morning, Woods (or his publicists) took to Twitter to respond to the ruling.

“At hole #15, I took a drop that I thought was correct and in accordance with the rules. I was unaware at that time I had violated any rules,” Tiger wrote. “I didn’t know I had taken an incorrect drop prior to signing my scorecard.

“Subsequently, I met with the Masters Committee Saturday morning and was advised they had reviewed the incident prior to the completion of my round. Their initial determination was that there was no violation, but they had additional concerns based on my post-round interview. After discussing the situation with them this morning, I was assessed a two-shot penalty. I understand and accept the penalty and respect the Committees’ decision.”

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Tiger Woods is reportedly facing a possible disqualification at the Masters. When discussing his round on Friday evening, Tiger spoke about the ball he dropped after his shot hit the pin on hole 15 and rolled into the water. Here is what he said, via CBSSports.com.

“I went down to the drop area, that wasn’t going to be a good spot, because obviously it’s into the grain and it was a little bit wet.

“So it was muddy and not a good spot to drop. So I went back to where I played it from, but I went two yards farther back and I tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit.”

If that’s true, that would be illegal. The official rule reads as follows.

It is a question of fact whether a ball that has not been found after having been struck toward a water hazard is in the hazard. In the absence of knowledge or virtual certainty that a ball struck toward a water hazard, but not found, is in thehazard, the player must proceed under Rule 27-1.

If a ball is found in a water hazard or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke:

a. Proceed under the stroke and distance provision of Rule 27-1 by playing a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or

b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped…

Woods’ explanation of being “two yards father back” and having to take a little bit off the shot is seemingly an admission that he did not drop his ball as nearly as possible to the spot where his initial shot was played. If that’s the case, he should have been assessed a two-stroke penalty. Since he was not and signed the scorecard, that would mean he signed an illegal card. Doing so would lead to an automatic disqualification.

According to FOXSports.com’s Robert Lusetich, Augusta National was reviewing the drop as of Saturday morning but would likely have to wait to speak to Tiger before coming to a conclusion.

When watching a replay of the shot on television, it appeared that Tiger dropped the ball about 2-3 feet behind a divot which may have been caused by his initial shot. Whether or not 2-3 feet is “as nearly as possible” to his first shot is something course officials will have to determine. Whereas the actual rule leaves room for interpretation, I would be shocked if Woods was disqualified.

UPDATE (9:34 a.m.): According to ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, Woods has been assessed a two-shot penalty but will not be disqualified. Due to a rule change in 2012, the rules committee is now able to go back and assess a penalty and allow the player to keep playing even after they signed an illegal scorecard, rather than disqualify the player.

This was Rickie Fowler on the par-3 16th hole of the Masters. Behind him was his biggest fan. Fowler is sponsored by Puma and known for his fluorescent colors and flamboyant style. This little kid is all about that, too. He had on his magenta and orange checkered shirt and magenta hat and was all ready for his moment to see his favorite player. Pretty sweet that he came so close to the golfer.

Unfortunately, the lookalike fan brought no luck for Fowler. He went into the water on the hole and three-putted for a triple-bogey six to send him sliding down the leaderboard.

H/T Will Brinson

Tiger Woods was looking great during the second round of the Masters on Friday, but he caught a bad break on the par-5 15. Woods’ third shot hit the pin, but the ball bounced and rolled into the water. He took a one-shot penalty and then hit his shot close to the hole after taking a drop. He ended up with a bogey 6 on the hole, which was the first time all round he did worse than par on a hole. The bogey took Woods out of a tie for the lead. He had been 3-under for the round prior to the bogey.

Even though people were bemoaning his bad luck on the hole, our friend Lachlan McLean of WHAS points out that Tiger also got a nice break on nine when his tee shot hit a tree and bounced back into the fairway. Maybe it was all just evening out.

GIF via BuzzFeed Sports

Ben Crenshaw expressed empathy for 14-year-old golfer Tianlang Guan, who was penalized a stroke for slow play during the second round of the Masters on Friday.

Guan’s threesome that included Crenshaw and Matteo Manassero began being watched for slow play midway through their round. Guan, who set a record for being the youngest player ever at the Masters, was timed on the 12th hole and was warned on the 13th hole for slow play. He was penalized a stroke on the par-4 17th hole for exceeding the 40-second limit “by a considerable margin” on his second shot, according to Augusta National.

Despite shooting par on the hole, Guan was forced to sign for a bogey 5.

Crenshaw felt badly for the teenager.

“This is not going to end pretty. I’m sick for him. I feel terrible. He is 14 years old. I’m so sorry this has happened,” said Crenshaw, via Sky Sports.

“The way I understand it, he was warned after he walked off the 16th. He had obviously the most diabolical putt you could face and he made a brilliant two-putt.

“I’m going to say this; anybody would take time in order to get up and hit that putt. That’s number one. And then number two, I think our group was warned maybe once that maybe we were out of position. And that was on the front nine.

“When you get the wind blowing out here, believe me, you’re going to change your mind a lot. It is not easy to get around this golf course the way it’s set up for two days.

“There’s no question he played slowly at times. But he was working things out. The rule’s 45 seconds and it’s pretty difficult for somebody to do that in a tournament like this with conditions the way they are.

“It’s going to happen, but I’m really sorry. This is not pretty.”

Manassero felt badly for Guan as well, but said his playing partner was taking “a little too long.”

“When the caddie pulls the club for him, I think he’s ready. But most of the times that he takes a little too long he just asks questions that I think he knows, but just to be sure, just to be clear in his mind.

“We all feel sorry, but this is the way professional golf goes. This will end up being a great experience for him.

“We all hope he’s going to make the cut, but this certainly will be a very valuable lesson. He will never forget it for sure, and he will learn from it.”

So you have Crenshaw who is being more forgiving about the matter and blaming it on conditions, whereas Manassero understood the penalty and thinks it will help Guan in the long run. It seems like Guan, despite being 14, needs to just have more confidence in himself. This difficult lesson will help him learn that.

If Tiger Woods is able to capture his fifth Green Jacket and first victory in a major tournament since the 2008 US Open, it appears his new girlfriend Lindsey Vonn will be there to witness it. The US Olympic skier was very visible before Woods teed off at 10:45 a.m. and stood near the tee at the first hole as Tiger began his round.

Vonn, who said a couple of weeks ago that she is “very happy” in her relationship with Tiger, made a few heads turn as she walked across the grounds sporting a stylish hat. Tiger has played very well so far in the 2013 season, and many have already been quick to credit Vonn as the person who has helped stabilize his personal life and improved his play on the course.

A report from the National Enquirer last week cited a source who claimed Vonn already feels “betrayed” and that she fears Tiger is still in love with his ex-wife Elin Nordegren. Although there was speculation back in January that Woods was offering an insane prenuptial agreement deal to Nordegren in an attempt to get back together with her, all indications are that both have moved on. Vonn’s presence at The Masters supports that theory.