IN the recently ended Philippine Open, Miguel Tabuena was assessed a two-stroke penalty. Heroically, he bucked the blow and went on to win the tournament—his second Open win.
Atty. Louie Sison has e-mailed me his views on the matter, basically disputing the penalty imposed on Tabuena. Here:
“Here’s a first hand account of an unfair two-stroke penalty. I was right there behind the bunker and I saw what happened.
“The 11th hole of The Country Club is a par-3 measuring 276 yards.
“Both Nick Paez and Miguel Tabuena drove into the right greenside bunker. Miguel was farther from the hole. When Miguel got to his ball, there was a leaf about a foot away from his ball. As he was contemplating his shot, the wind started blowing the leaf towards his ball until the leaf finally settled behind his ball. Miguel prepared, hit his ball to within 2 feet and made the putt for par. Paez played his and made bogey.
“They then proceeded to play the 12th hole and when they reached the green, a rulesman was called for a ruling. According to Paez, Miguel touched the leaf on his backswing and therefore he should be assessed a two-stroke penalty. Miguel denied the allegation. Since the rulesman was not anywhere near where the violation allegedly happened, he said that he would refer the matter to the Tournament Director. The players played the round out to its finish.
“Before the score cards were signed, there was a discussion with the Tournament Director and, after deliberation, it was decided that a two-stroke penalty would be imposed on Miguel.
“There were no other witnesses to the incident except me but since I was just a spectator, I was not asked for my knowledge of the event. It so happened that aside from the two players, I was the only one there.
“Paez proved stubborn and refused to sign his score card. He only signed when the Tournament Director ruled that since the leaf was directly behind the ball, there was NO WAY that Miguel could not have touched the leaf on his backswing. Hence, the two-stroke penalty.
“Here is a classic case where a rulesman was not present, the Tournament Director was not present, the other player and his caddy in the threesome knew nothing about the case, the caddies of both players saw nothing and, lastly, Paez waited till they reached the next green before citing the alleged infraction.
“Paez said he saw the leaf move. Miguel said he was not sure that the leaf moved and said that if it moved, it could have been because of the wind. Miguel insisted he did not touch the leaf.
“Every knowledgeable golfer knows that even if a leaf is directly behind your ball, you can certainly take a backswing without touching the leaf.
“In this case then, it was quite obvious that the Tournament Director favored the competitor’s allegation over the statement of the player aka accused.
“The rules of golf clearly state that when two statements are made by a player and a competitor contrary to each other, the player’s word prevails. In this case, the Tournament Director, who was not even there at the scene of the alleged crime, ruled against the player because of a conclusion that was simply drawn from his imagination.
“Contrary to the decision? Definitely! Unfair to Tabuena? Definitely! And this is the Philippine Open!!!”
The tournament director may have the floor, if he wishes to.
THAT’S IT Sweeter than San Miguel’s 92-77 win over Magnolia last Sunday that evened up their best-of-seven series at 1-1 is the fact that the Beermen, with their emphatic triumph, had reclaimed their billing as the heavy favorite to retain their crown en route to pocketing a record fourth straight All-Filipino title.