Golf Rules Changed to Limit Use of Video Evidence for Potential Penalties

Golf officials announced a decision Tuesday to alter the standards for penalizing players in cases where video replay reveals a rules violation.

According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com): "Players can avoid a penalty if the violation could not be noticed with the naked eye. Rules officials also will eliminate penalties if they feel players made a reasonable judgment in taking a drop or replacing their golf ball on the putting green."

The sport has recently seen several high-profile instances of penalties issued after replay review. Anna Nordqvist was given a two-stroke penalty for touching the sand with her club in a bunker during a playoff at the U.S. Women's Open last July, which ultimately gave Brittany Lang the major title.

Lexi Thompson, meanwhile, was hit with a four-stroke penalty at the ANA Inspiration earlier this month after replay showed she made a one-inch placement error with her ball the previous day. That cost her a three-shot lead, and she lost the title to So Yeon Ryu in a playoff hole.

Dustin Johnson was assessed a one-stroke penalty at the 2016 U.S. Open after video showed he had caused his ball to move before a putt. While Johnson still won that tournament, the situation became wildly controversial after officials notified him about the possible infraction while he was on the 12th hole but chose to wait until he finished his round to issue a ruling.

Given the controversial nature of all three circumstances, it isn't surprising that golf officials decided to review and alter their replay standards.

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