Natalie Gulbis disqualified after failing to sign scorecard
Natalie Gulbis was disqualified today at the Corona Morelia Championship, after shooting a 77. The LPGA website indicates a DQ, but doesn't give a reason. According to the AP, Natalie forgot to sign her own scorecard. She did sign her partner's card as a witness and apparently a few autographs after the round. (More here)
UPDATE: Natalie explains in her journal the mistake: "Unfortunately it's Friday and I am in the airport going home to Las Vegas. I [was] so dissapointed after a round of birdies, eagles, and doubles I did not sign my card. My caddy Greg was in the scoring tent with me and double checked the scores and what he thought was my signature. The two rules officials said my card was fine and complete. It was only until and hour after I finished that I got a call that there was no signature on my card. An automatic DQ. I finished 5th here last year and still hold the course record. I am crushed! On my way back to Las Vegas..."
9 Comments:
I've never understood the signed card rule and strikes me as a goofy 'gotcha' thing. If the player is notified later that the card isn't signed and given a time limit to return and does so then what would it matter? DQ's should be based on SERIOUS errors or behaviour ON the field. Getting DQ'd for not signing a card that everyone knows is yours is dumb, especially if you could come back and do so.
Waxman, you are so right.
So after hitting a couple double bogeys on the back nine, Natalie must have been a little out of sorts.
Why didn't her caddie, though, catch the mistake?
Something smells fishy here and I'm not buying it.
Texas Poppet, what's there not to buy??
If Gulbis wanted to bail from the tourney, there's an easier way: it's called WD or withdrawing. It happens all the time, usually without explanation. Getting DQ'd is more noticeable. So I can't imagine there's something sneaky going on.
the scorecard signature omission happens more often than we think. so many players are so thorough on all the minutia of on-course rules, but tend to get a little tired once they're in the tent and forget the most basic of things...adding up integers & signatures.
when you think that each of these players signs about 120 scorecards every season and there are 120-player fields, that's 14,400 cards...with an ommission rate of 0.25% (a quarter of a percentage point), it makes for a total 72 DQs per year for all of the LPGA...that's well below the actual number It is not surprising except when it is a high visibility player like Natalie.
But I trust Natalie to find a way of filling her weekend in Vegas. More putting practice or another photo shoot, hmmm?
next week, the Samsung - which is far more important for her to win than the Corelia.
Good luck Nat!
Perhaps Natalie added her extra glopping of eye make-up, and couldn't see what to sign after the round. Perhaps those autographs were the accident. Hate to harp, but she was out here for the Longs, and dropped out for a staff infection, but in the practice rounds i swear I saw her caddy mistakenly start talking to a raccoon, thinking it was her. Lay off the black stuff.
As for the signing rule, it is still there because if it gets dropped at the pro level, it will get dropped at the amateur level.
Once you sign, you are agreeing with how you scored the round. If a penalty comes up the next day, you can't just have the leading scores flip-flopping. As for having the scorecard right, and forgetting to sign; that just indicates that you and your caddy are idiots, or your calendar sales are down, and you need to get your name in the news.
Power Fade, you're funny but don't you think you're being a little harsh. California women like their makeup. so what.
I just shot a 65 in the second round of my club championships....after scoring a 79 in the first round so I was quite pleased with myself until I went back to the club tonight to find my name was not on top of the leaderboard...I forgot my signature..I was so caught up on a good round and my friends congratulating me.....I had just missed the course record by a stroke which would have been interesting as apparently I still get handicapped on my 65
Wow, power fade is incredibly bitter when it comes to Natalie. That's because he probably couldn't even score Natalie from the old "Facts of Life" tv show, much less anyone remotely resembling the hottest player on the LPGA. Or maybe his power fade is just a limp slice.
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