One more time. If the proposed rules changes are adopted in 2019 what she did would not be a penalty.
Here's the same scenario if it happened in 2019. A home referee feels compelled after he / she DVR's Saturdays round and sees that Lexi did not put her ball back in the same location emails the LPGA with his / her find.
The LPGA officials confront Lexi with this new information the next day. She responds that 'she made a reasonable attempt to return her ball to the same location'. With that answer she cannot be 'second guessed'. There is no penalty assessed. Absurdity avoided.
The email referee at home goes back to his / her Cheetos bag and the tournament is not tainted with stupidity.
Something else to consider with the current rule. When a player has to move their ball because they're in another players line, who decides if they moved it back to it's previous location? That would seem impossible to get back to it's original spot.
Some idiot calls up and says the players club angle did not match up with where his eyes were looking when he moved his ball or some other ridiculous claim that has no bearing on anything. Again, in 2019 there is no penalty because of the reasonable attempt language. Absurdity is avoided.
Bottom line. Golf should get back to policing itself. Get rid of home referees and these stupid archaic rules that have no effect on anything except to show how stupid many of these rules are.
The USGA needs to end all this absurdity now, not wait until 2019.
