HS golfer loses state title to errant scorecard

[southsider2k5]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/prep-prep-ra...-100321371.html

 

Eugene (Ore.) Churchill High girls golfer Caroline Inglis was on the cusp of history. After winning the Oregon Scholastic Activities Association Class 5A state tournament during each of her first three years, Inglis finished the final round of the 2012 state tournament with a 3-under 69, a score that completed a dominant performance that was nine shots better than anyone else in the tournament.

 

Churchill golfer Caroline Inglis after being disqualified for a scorecard violation — Portland OregonianChurchill golfer Caroline Inglis after being disqualified for a scorecard violation — Portland Oregonian

 

All Inglis had to do to ensure history would be made was sign her scorecard. As it turns out, that's precisely what got her in trouble.

 

As reported by the Portland Oregonian, Inglis' scorecard actually credited her with a 4-under 68 in the final round, one shot better than Inglis' actual score. The error was the result of Inglis' playing partner hastily crediting the Churchill senior with a par on the 18th hole when she actually scored a bogey, but by the time Inglis noticed her partner's mistake, she had already signed her scorecard.

 

That gave OSAA officials no choice but to disqualify their rightful champion, because the state championship tournament was played under official USGA rules which call for any players signing inaccurate scorecards to be DQ'd.

 

Inglis' disqualification thwarted what would have been rare history in the Pacific Northwest. Had Inglis' victory been confirmed, she would have become the first golfer of either sex to win four consecutive state titles. Ironically, the winner who took Inglis' place could achieve just such a feat now; Bend (Ore.) Summit High freshman Madison Odiorne was given state champion honors following Inglis' DQ.

 

"It doesn't really feel like a win, because I know Caroline really won the whole thing," Odiorne told the Oregonian.

 

Odiorne wasn't the only person who felt for Inglis' stunning loss. Wilsonville (Ore.) High senior Juhee Lee, who finished as the runner-up to Inglis in all three of the seniors' previous state tournaments, also called the incident "unfortunate."

 

Those sentiments probably do little to comfort Inglis, who could at least take solace in knowing that she'll get a chance at even greater glory ahead at the University of Oregon, where she has signed to compete in golf.

[Steve9347]

That sucks.

[CrimsonWeltall]

Golf scorecard rules are ridiculous.

 

 

[The Critic]

Math is hard.

[StrangeSox]

That's terrible. It's much more important to be extremely strict on procedural rules than to understand the spirit of the rules, I suppose.

 

Hopefully she's handling it like Galarraga did when he got screwed, with grace and confidence knowing what she accomplished, regardless of what the record books say.

[Quin]

That sucks.

 

 

Golf scorecard rules are ridiculous.

 

[iamshack]

That's terrible. It's much more important to be extremely strict on procedural rules than to understand the spirit of the rules, I suppose.

 

Hopefully she's handling it like Galarraga did when he got screwed, with grace and confidence knowing what she accomplished, regardless of what the record books say.

Ugh, that's awful....imagine how stupid the girl who won by default feels now...in like 20 years when her kids ask her about that trophy, will she tell them she actually lost by 9 strokes but the other girl got disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard?

[Texsox]

Math is hard.

 

 

She isn't responsible for the math, she is responsible for the scores on each hole. There really isn't any other way to do it. She signed that she made a par on 18 when she made a bogey. That can not be tolerated. Any penalty less than being DQ's would invite people to accidentaly turn in false scores. Remember, this isn't like any other sport, in golf you report your score.

[StrangeSox]

Well there's your other way to do it right there: independent score-keeping.

[IlliniKrush]

She isn't responsible for the math, she is responsible for the scores on each hole. There really isn't any other way to do it. She signed that she made a par on 18 when she made a bogey. That can not be tolerated. Any penalty less than being DQ's would invite people to accidentaly turn in false scores. Remember, this isn't like any other sport, in golf you report your score.

Yet there are people that go through with them and know exactly what they scored on each hole, correct? Otherwise how would they know it was incorrect? Have them keep the damn score. People would turn in false scores, even knowing they would get caught?

 

This whole thing is like ending a basketball game, having the star come off the court and quiz him. "I think we won 68-61." No I'm sorry it was 68-62, the other team wins now.

 

The whole thing is beyond stupid.

[Quin]

Yet there are people that go through with them and know exactly what they scored on each hole, correct? Otherwise how would they know it was incorrect? Have them keep the damn score. People would turn in false scores, even knowing they would get caught?

 

This whole thing is like ending a basketball game, having the star come off the court and quiz him. "I think we won 68-61." No I'm sorry it was 68-62, the other team wins now.

 

The whole thing is beyond stupid.

 

As someone who played HS golf, this.

[cabiness42]

The error was the result of Inglis' playing partner hastily crediting the Churchill senior with a par on the 18th hole when she actually scored a bogey, but by the time Inglis noticed her partner's mistake, she had already signed her scorecard.

 

What I gather from this is that Inglis had the correct score for herself for the 18th on the card she was keeping, but her playing partner (who is keeping her official score) had an incorrect score for her for the 18th.

 

When I played HS golf, my group sat down after every match and double-checked our scorecards to make 100% certain that we had the same scores for each other on every hole. This is a massive fail on her part for not doing this.

 

 

[iamshack]

What I gather from this is that Inglis had the correct score for herself for the 18th on the card she was keeping, but her playing partner (who is keeping her official score) had an incorrect score for her for the 18th.

 

When I played HS golf, my group sat down after every match and double-checked our scorecards to make 100% certain that we had the same scores for each other on every hole. This is a massive fail on her part for not doing this.

It indeed is, but that is probably the result of the winner of the tournament not being in doubt.

 

It's one thing to do this in a random match, as it is easy to cheat if the players don't do a good job of keeping track, but as other posters have pointed out, once you reach the level of the state tournament, it is nearly impossible to cheat (and actually have a chance to win) since you hit so few shots and people are employed to observe every group.

 

Really, this is an outdated and outmoded stupid way of doing things that is still done for the sake of silly tradition. Once you reach this competitive level, the scoring methods should be automated in some way.

[Soxbadger]

Dont people get dqed in the PGA for this same stupid mistake?

 

 

[cabiness42]

Dont people get dqed in the PGA for this same stupid mistake?

 

Yes, it seems to happen about once a year.

[Quin]

Yes, it seems to happen about once a year.

 

And it's even dumber there.

[Texsox]

Mistakes in scoring will happen. Why would you want someone else responsible for your score? Imagine her losing the state title because someone else made a mistake in her score. It may be an old system, but I would always prefer being responsible for reporting my hole by hole scores than allowing someone else to screw it up. If there is a mistake I have no one to blame but myself.

[southsider2k5]

Mistakes in scoring will happen. Why would you want someone else responsible for your score? Imagine her losing the state title because someone else made a mistake in her score. It may be an old system, but I would always prefer being responsible for reporting my hole by hole scores than allowing someone else to screw it up. If there is a mistake I have no one to blame but myself.

 

You wouldn't need the DQ rule if scoring were being done by a neutral 3rd party.

[RockRaines]

As someone who played HS golf, this.

in HS golf you have blatant cheating, scores that are 10 shots better than they were.