(AUGUSTA, Ga.) April 7, 2011 — The USGA and R&A eased the penalty for an innocent Padraig Harrington-style scorecard error — downgrading it from a DQ to a two-stroke penalty, the Augusta Chronicle reported.
The ruling amended Decisions of the “Decisions on the Rules of Golf” Decision 33-7/4.5 to account for situations like Harrington’s, in which a viewer with an HDTV saw that his ball had moved slightly after he re-marked it — something Harrington hadn’t seen before turning in his card at the Abu Dhabi Championship in January.
Elsewhere at Augusta: In-your-face golf commentator Jim Gray is among the missing at Augusta this year. “No, here’s not part of our crew this week,” a Golf Channel spokesman told USA Today. For earlier coverage click here.