The Rules Geek: Hunter Mahan’s Driver Replacement

Editor’s note: The Rules Geek may be an occasional and annoying feature at ARMCHAIR GOLF. We’ll see how it goes.

HUNTER MAHAN FIRED A 65 in the final round and cruised to a one-stroke victory over Ricky Fowler at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. In addition to the alcohol-fueled enthusiasm of Phoenix fans, Mahan’s round featured a driver malfunction on the second hole.

“I looked down at it, and it had a little crack in it,” Mahan said, “and I was able to take it out of play.”

Correct.

Rule 4-3 Damaged Clubs: Repair and Replacement allows a player to replace a club that “is damaged in the normal course of play.”

Mahan exercised the replacement option, but, of course, there’s a caveat: “The replacement of a club must not unduly delay play and must not be made by borrowing any club selected for play by any other person playing on the course.”

That’s where Mahan’s girl friend, Kandi, came in. Kandi had the keys to Mahan’s courtesy car and, with the help of a cart-driving rules official, hustled out to the parking lot to retrieve Mahan’s backup driver, a Ping Rapture V2.

“I got it before the next tee shot,” Mahan said, “which was nice, because the next hole is a par-5. I really didn’t want to hit a 3-wood off the par-5.”

No sir. No you did not. But you didn’t have to thanks to Rule 4-3. (And Kandi.) The Rules Geek salutes Hunter Mahan for knowing the rules, and his girlfriend Kandi for helping him to play by them.

The Rules Geek sez rules were made to be followed. Got a rules-related tip or story? Send it to The Rules Geek at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

(Image: Chase McAlpine/Flickr)

Did You Know Laura Davies Has 73 Wins?

I HAD NO IDEA. By closing with a 69 to win the New Zealand Open on Sunday, 46-year-old English golfer Laura Davies collected her 73rd worldwide title. Wow. Where have I been? I’m guessing trophy room rather than trophy case.

I knew Davies was one of the top women golfers for a lengthy stretch in the 1980s and 1990s, but she has never stopped winning golf tournaments since she got her first victory at the 1985 Belgian Ladies’ Open. In her quarter century as a professional, the long-hitting Davies has played all over the world. Here’s how her wins break down:

LPGA Tour: 20
Ladies European Tour: 39
LPGA of Japan Tour: 6
Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour: 6
Ladies Asian Golf Tour: 2

To my surprise, 15 of Davies’ 73 wins have been in the 2000s. Four wins are majors. She may not be the dominant player she once was—especially on the LPGA Tour—but she just keeps winning. Davies has also won the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit seven times, a record. I’d say it’s a Hall of Fame career.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: dnkbdotcom/Flickr)

Caddie Greg Rita, 1956-2010

IMAGINE BEING ON THE BAG for Curtis Strange, John Daly, David Duval, Mark O’Meara, Scott Hoch and Gil Morgan. One word comes to mind: intense.

Greg Rita, who died Saturday on his 54th birthday after a two and a half year battle with brain cancer, strode the fairways with those and other players in a PGA Tour career that spanned more than three decades.

Nicknamed “Boats,” Rita looped for Strange when he won consecutive U.S. Opens in 1988 and 1989, the first repeat winner in 40 years. And he was the bag man when Big John was presented the Claret Jug at St. Andrews in 1995. Rita was inducted into the Professional Caddies Association Hall of Fame in 2000.

In his 2nd Annual David Feherty Golden Ferrets, Feherty conferred ferret status on Rita and wrote, “It’s not the same without you. And we don’t care if part of your brain is missing. (In fact, to be a caddie it’s almost a prerequisite.) So get your ass back out here. We miss you. We love you.”

The caddie fought hard. “If there’s a way, I’ve got the will to get through this,” Rita said in 2008. He is survived by his wife and 4-year-old son. He will be greatly missed by fellow caddies, players and others throughout the golf world.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: nsaplayer/Flickr)