Around The Commonwealth
“ In my case , I am thankful that no one else will have to deal with an outcome such as mine in the future .”
Lexi Thompson
USGA and The R & A unanimously agreed to adopt a new set of protocols for video review when applying the Rules of Golf .
Essentially , the home television viewer will no longer have any say in the application of the Rules .
The group , consisting of the PGA Tour , LPGA , PGA European Tour , Ladies European Tour and The PGA of America , as well as the governing bodies , implemented the following measure on Jan . 1 , 2018 : Assign one or more officials to monitor the video broadcast of a competition to help identify and resolve Rules issues as they arise ; Discontinue any steps to facilitate or consider viewer call-ins as part of the Rules decision process . “ This has clearly become an important issue in the sport that we felt we should address at this stage ahead of the implementation of the updated Rules of Golf in 2019 ,” said David Rickman , executive director of governance at The R & A .
In addition , the USGA and R & A approved the adoption of a Local Rule to eliminate the additional two-stroke penalty for failing to include a penalty on the score card when the player was unaware of the penalty . All represented organizations in the working group introduced the Local Rule for 2018 , and the score card penalty will be permanently removed from the modernized Rules of Golf , which take effect on Jan . 1 , 2019 .
Thompson praised the decision in a statement released on her Twitter account , adding she would have no further comment on the matter .
“ In my case , I am thankful that no one else will have to deal with an outcome such as mine in the future ,” she said .
All-Amateur Honors
Seven VSGA members were named to 2017 Global Golf Post All-Am teams , which were released in late November . First-team men ’ s senior : Keith Decker ( Chatmoss CC ) and Matt Sughrue ( Trump National Washington D . C .) First-team men ’ s mid-amateur : Mike Muehr ( Trump National Washington D . C .) First-team women ’ s mid-amateur : Lauren Greenlief ( International CC ) Second-team women ’ s mid-amateur : Mallory Hetzel ( Sleepy Hole GC ) Honorable mention men ’ s senior : Allen Barber ( James River CC ) and Pat Tallent ( Westwood CC ).
Another DECC Honor
For the second straight year , PGA Tour Champions players have voted the Dominion Energy Charity Classic their favorite event to play . The DECC , which returns to The Country Club of Virginia ’ s James River Course in Richmond for a third year in October , is the opening event of the Tour ’ s Charles Schwab Cup playoffs .
The annual Players Award represents recognition for a tournament that goes above and beyond in the experience provided to PGA Tour Champions players . “ It ’ s a tremendous honor to receive the Players Award in each of our first two years as a PGA Tour Champions event ,” DECC executive director Steve Schoenfeld told PGATour . com . “ Dominion Energy and The Country Club of Virginia have been wonderful partners for this tournament , and the Richmond community has embraced us with unbelievable enthusiasm . Our hope is to continue building on 2016 and 2017 , while continuing our efforts to create a lasting community impact in the region .”
The 2018 DECC is scheduled for Oct . 15-21 .
VSGA / USGA Championship Changes Coming in 2018
The VSGA Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship will be played May 19 – 20 and move to a Saturday – Sunday date this year after being played in a Friday – Saturday timeframe in years past . Qualifying for the match-play rounds at the VSGA Mid-Senior and Super Senior Amateur Championships will be reduced from 36 to 18 holes . After one day of stroke-play qualifying , each championship will feature eight players and two days of match play to determine a winner . Those who do not qualify for match play will participate in a second round of stroke play for prizes . Everyone who signs up is guaranteed two rounds . Those who make the cut ( top 45 and ties ) at the VSGA Mid-Amateur Championship will be flighted in the final round of the event . The VSGA Women ’ s Four-Ball Championship has been expanded from 18 to 36 holes . The VSGA will add a super senior division ( ages 65 and over ) at the VSGA Senior Women ’ s Stroke Play Championship . Eligibility and exemption changes for 2018 include :
• VSGA junior championships are now open to juniors ages 19 and under . Any junior who has graduated from high school may only participate until Aug . 31 of their graduation year .
• Any player who wins a 36-hole Junior Golf Circuit event will earn an exemption into the Junior Stroke Play Championship .
• The top 10 and ties from the 2017 Junior Stroke Play Championship , if eligible , are exempt into this year ’ s Junior Stroke Play Championship .
• The champion of the VSGA Mid-Senior Amateur will be exempt into the following year ’ s VSGA Senior Amateur Championship .
The U . S . Senior Women ’ s Open will make its debut in 2018 , and the VSGA will host a qualifier for the championship at Springfield G & CC on June 13 . After a one-year hiatus , qualifying for the U . S . Women ’ s Open returns to Hermitage Country Club in May .
vsga . org J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2018 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 7