Cracking golf's code? It's complicated

What Alex learned of double trouble and cracked clubs; Stray Shots on fantastic finishers

Matthew Fitzpatrick’s cracked driver was a source of befuddlement (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

I was off to St. Andrews to cover the AIG Women’s Open and saw a lot of slow play and some interesting golf. But there were things to learn all the way from Colorado as well.

Not to belittle the point, but the first thing I learned is that making one double bogey may not be catastrophic when leading, but making two blunders in the final two rounds of a major championship spells nothing but doom.

Which is exactly what happened to Nelly Korda as her mistakes came literally out of nowhere and cost her a Women’s British Open championship at the Old Course.

Korda understood full well that she just blew a golden opportunity. But what could she do? It’s golf and it happens.

“Listen, it’s golf. I’m going to mess up and unfortunately, I messed up over the weekend twice in two penalizing ways coming down the stretch,” Korda said after losing her late two-shot lead and ultimately losing by two shots to Lydia Ko. “Theoretically that’s what kind of cost me the tournament but I played well. I played solid. I even fought after that. I’m going to take that into the next coming events.”

Nelly Korda absorbed a costly double hit of misfortune at Old Course (Ross Parker/R&A via Getty Images)

At 26, Korda will learn from her Old Course experience and the mistakes she made at the 16th hole on Saturday — driving her tee shot OB — and then two mistakes with her wedge and a missed putt that cost her again Sunday on the par-5 14th.

Both mistakes were self-inflicted. But, as Korda said, it happens in this game.

The other thing I learned this weekend is that a scratch or a crack is not considered damage.

PGA Tour chief referee Stephen Cox said at the BMW Championship that a “minor crack” was visible on the face of Matthew Fitzpatrick’s driver. While a crack can impact the club’s performance, it does not meet the threshold of being “significantly damaged” that would allow it to be replaced under the USGA’s Model Local Rule G-9. 

Let’s just stop right there. It’s possible that the crack can impact the club’s performance, but even if it does it may not necessarily be replaced? Now who in their right mind thinks that’s a good idea?

These guys are playing for millions of dollars, but must go through a back-and-forth with one, two and three rules officials to tell you that the club is damaged, it may affect your play, but it can’t be replaced.

Instead, the rule provides examples of when a club may be replaced, while also stating that “a club face or clubhead is not ‘broken or significantly damaged’ solely because it is cracked.”

Although there was a small crack in the face, there was no separation in the metals and on that basis that “significant” threshold wasn’t met.”

Wouldn’t it be better to err on the side of caution and not force a cracked club into play?

What I’ve learned for this is that the rules are little cracked, and they could use a new interpretation.