The good, bad and ugly of golf's punishment

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THE GOOD: Davis Love III talks a press conference after being named captain of the US Ryder Cup team.

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THE UGLY: Ireland's Padraig Harrington talks at a press conference after being disqualified for a rules infraction at the Abu Dhabi press conference.

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THE BAD: Britain's Elliot Saltman has been given a three-month ban by the European Tour for cheating during an event in 2010.

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OPINION: The inherent good and the occasional bad and ugly of global golf have been sharply highlighted over the last four days by contrasting events in the United States and United Arab Emirates.

While the appointments of Jose Maria Olazabal and Davis Love III as Ryder Cup captains for 2012 were warmly applauded by all connected with the game, two rules infringements in Europe sparked animated debate about their fairness.

Golf, because of its unique etiquette, is renowned for its enviable set of checks and balances but, every now and then, it can yield punishments which seem to far outweigh the crime.

Spaniard Olazabal and American Love, however, represent all that is good about the professional game and their respective appointments, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Medinah on Thursday, gave the sport equally good reason to smile.

Double Masters champion Olazabal and 1997 PGA Championship winner Love are respected and admired on both sides of the Atlantic and viewed as role models by many of their peers.

They are passionate about the game and the Ryder Cup and can be expected to uphold golf's traditional honesty and sportsmanship when the biennial team competition takes place at Medinah in 2012.

Both men turned professional in 1985 and, despite competing on different tours, they have maintained a long-standing friendship and mutual respect.

"Jose Maria has been a good friend for someone that plays the European Tour and that I don't see that much," Love told a news conference at Medinah Country Club near Chicago after being introduced as US captain.

"We have competed against each other and we have shared a lot of trials and tribulations through our careers together. He's always been respectful and supportive of my career."

OTHER SIDE

On the opposite side of the coin, however, golf's uglier side came to light in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday when Britain's Elliot Saltman was given a three-month ban by the European Tour for cheating during an event last September.

Saltman was found guilty of breaching a regulation during the first round of the M2M Russian Challenge Cup and given 28 days to lodge an appeal before the European Tour board.

Although the Scot admitted in November he had broken the rules in Russia, he has since said he was in shock at the time and did not want to be labeled a cheat.

"I am sorry now that I didn't stand up for myself," he added. "It affects not only me but my family."

While Saltman's disqualification in September for incorrectly marking his ball may appear clear-cut, golf occasionally throws up incidents where the punishment seems to be far too excessive.

Irishman Padraig Harrington was disqualified from the Abu Dhabi Championship overnight (NZ time) for signing an incorrect scorecard after he had inadvertently moved his ball on a green.

A television viewer phoned European Tour officials to explain that Harrington had marginally knocked his ball forward on the par-three seventh green while replacing his marker during the first round.

"When you look at TV footage, it looks as though the ball rocks forward and then in slow motion it's pretty clear the ball has moved three dimples," said Harrington, who had opened with a seven-under 65.

Having signed for a 65, Harrington was guilty under the rules of golf of signing for an incorrect score in that he should have called a two-stroke penalty on himself.

PREMATURE DEPARTURE

His premature departure was the second this month because of a rules violation spotted by a television viewer.

Colombian Camilo Villegas was disqualified from the PGA Tour's season-opening Tournament of Champions on January 7 at the Kapalua Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Villegas had carded a one-under 72 in the first round but he violated Rule 23-1 at the 15th where he twice chipped up to the green only to watch as his ball rolled back to him.

On the second occasion, he illegally flicked away a loose divot of grass as the ball was trickling back down the slope.

As with Harrington, Villegas was disqualified from the tournament the following day after rules officials had been able to review the television footage.

While virtually every professional takes comfort from the fact that the rules of golf set the standard and must be strictly followed, some have doubts when the rules are applied well after the fact.

Former world number one Ernie Els has suggested that perhaps a deadline be established.

"If you sign your card, it's done and you can't do anything about it," the South African said. "Maybe we should have some kind of a rule like that.

"Even though the player's signed his card, because of this (television) call 'after the fact', he gets a two-shot penalty instead of being disqualified.

"In golf, we police ourselves. I promise you, not one player out there wants to break a rule. If the player finds that he's done something, you either penalise yourself or you disqualify yourself."

- Reuters