Just read that Lexi was penalized again for a rules of golf violation. Why doesn't someone buy her a Rules Handbook and ask her to read it

I heard about it, but never saw what the issue was.

But yeah, I think she needs to go to some rules clinics.

They were playing lift, clean and replace but only if you were on your own fairway.

She hit her tee shot onto an adjacent fairway and picked up her ball.

    HybridWood
    I would assume they gave instructions on that because I have never heard of only allowing it in your own fairway.

        SVonhof Yes, according to the Golfweek article (https://golfweek.com/2018/08/19/lexi-thompson-penalized-for-rules-violation-in-return-still-in-contention/):

        Thompson flailed her drive Saturday at Brickyard Crossing GC’s par-5 10th so far right that her ball ended up in the sixth fairway. The tournament was being played Saturday under preferred lies, meaning Thompson and the rest of the field were allowed to lift, clean and place in a closely mown area.

        But that rule only applies to the hole one is currently playing on. So if Thompson hit it in the 10th fairway on this drive, she would’ve been fully within her rights to lift, clean and place. As she found a fairway at the sixth – a hole she wasn’t playing at that moment – the rule didn’t apply and thus this was an infraction.

        A rules official witnessed Thompson mid-infraction, and she was assessed a one-shot penalty. The official actually might have saved her from an additional infraction. If Thompson had made the illegal lift, clean and place move, placed her ball in a slightly different spot and played from there … that would be another one-shot penalty for playing from the wrong spot.

          Shes the lpga equivalent of DJ. A bit harsh but you cannot fix stupid.....what you can fix is getting a caddie who isn't.

          It sucks that she returns from a few weeks off and does this to herself right off the bat! It's an understandable mistake, but it sounds like it was made clear that the rule only allowed the action within the hole being played.

          SVonhof That's odd, I was going to say the exact opposite. I've never heard of anyone ever playing lift, clean, and place where you didn't have to be on your own fairway to get this relief. In fact, I was going to ask how long Lexi's been playing this game that she wouldn't know this. However, I guess I have to give her more benefit of the doubt since this rule is obviously more variable than I thought.

              kelco9 I agree with kelco9. Surely the players don't get to lift, clean, and place when they are in the rough, right? So why would we effectively penalize people for hitting their tee ball slightly off line, but reward them when they hit it WAY off line? It doesn't make any sense at all.

              My guess is that she's not dumb, but was just in the habit of lifting, cleaning, and placing on fairways all day and just did it out of habit without thinking about the fact that she was in the wrong fairway.

                  rsvman
                  Apparently, the tournaments I have played in where we have used this rule either hasn't needed it (some courses, there are no two fairways next to each other), or the tournament directors failed to bring this up.

                  We have had lift-clean-and-cheat (that's what I call it) rules during tournaments where you could do that in the fairway or the rough (through the green), as long as it isn't tall native grass and you cannot improve your lie (move it from the rough to the fairway). We have had others that specify that it only applies in the fairways.

                    That's just mind boggling. Why would she assume that she could lift and clean her ball and place from a different fairway?

                    It is just assumed that when lift-clean-place is instituted that it's in the fairway of the hole being played. There is no reasonable explanation for why she would assume otherwise. If 15 handicappers understand this rule, why on earth doesn't she?

                    Did she not play amateur club golf growing up? She obviously has no effing clue about the rules.

                    In my 25 years of playing it was understood that lift-clean-place only pertained to balls hit in the fairway of the hole that is being played.

                    Again, mind boggling.

                    I think the issue of lift clean an place is allowing players to clean mud off of the ball in the fairway. They gain no advantage with the lie. The rough is different because they could improve their lie if they pick the ball up in the rough and carefully hand place it in a better position. What diff does it make it she picked it up in different short grass?

                      Rickochet If she replaced the ball in precisely the same spot without cleaning it there would possibly be no real difference. If she cleaned and replaced it she would be rewarded for hitting a shot more wayward than normal beyond just the rub of the green gained by being far enough off line to land in another fairway. One could reasonably argue that just picking it up may have removed some soil and perhaps improved the lie if it were bonded (plugged) with the surface.

                        I'm a little fan, so would cut her slack here. I'm thinking she's playing a little bit unfocused with the tough personal stuff she's facing. Trying to cope with it while performing at that high level is challenging. Wish her well.

                        Guys, I've played competitive amateur tournaments at my various golf clubs over the past 20 years. On the rare occasions when there's been an enormous amount of rain prior to the tournament, when lift-clean-place has been instituted - it was always accepted that lift-clean-place only pertained to the fairway of the hole being played. And the head professional always pointed that out. "Your fairway only."

                        There's no excuse for her breach of the rules. If my weekend group understands that rule, there's no logical excuse for Lexi, a professional, to not understand that rule.

                        There seems to be a serious disconnect here.

                        This is a penalty more befitting a 20 handicapper than a touring professional.

                        My only question would be where the heck was her caddy. That is something that the caddy should have helped with at that point. The caddy needs to know the rules as well especially for something like what happened.

                          I'm pretty sure that lift, clean and place is ALWAYS in your own fairway. How could she NOT know this?

                            sdandrea1

                            If she continues down this road of being penalized for breaching the simplest of rules that most amatuer players know, then at some point her "ignorance" involving these situations will be called into question, and what would otherwise be seen as a brain fart situation will morph into one of willful intent to gain an unfair advantage.

                            She needs to clean this part of her game up, otherwise she's gonna earn a bad reputation imo.

                            She just seems aloof to the rules on occasion, but this is her career, her livelihood. She's competing for a lot of money. At some point people are gonna stop assuming she just simply had a brain fart.