WBRS Sports Blog

Of all the formidable holes at this week’s U.S. Open, the most dangerous may be the 9^th hole. That’s because the 9^th green is so big that half of it is actually the practice green. A blue line and some stakes are all that separates the practice section from the green in play.

Here is the dangerous part. It’s illegal for a player to practice on the course he is playing. That means if a player on the practice green has the ball go over the blue line, he must pick it up with his hand. If the player knocks it back over the line with his putter it can be considered practicing and the player could be disqualified.

In Economics there is something called the "Specificity Rule" which basically says that when you have a problem the best solution is the one that deals most directly with the problem. No sport in the entire world disobeys this rule more than professional golf. Disqualifying somebody for hitting their ball back onto the practice green has nothing to do with the problem of people practicing on the course, and it would be insane if a player actually got disqualified for it. The only benefit to this rule is that if the LPGA ever has an event at Oakmont, Michelle Wie will have another way to get out of the tournament before she shoots an 88.