The Masters Golf tournament started off last week in August, Georgia, with a change of rules.  The change adopted, gives some discretion to officials who uncover a violation on videotape after the player has signed the scorecard.  Under old rules, if video replays showed a player committing a violation that was he didn't admitted to, and the player signed the final scorecard without citing himself, disqualification would inevitably follow. Now, if an official notices that the player unknowingly committed a violation and did not report it before signing the scorecard, disqualification could be waived and a one-stroke penalty.  The rules of Golf are based on personal ethics in which players are expected to call violations on themselves.  This scenario acyually played out earlier this year when Padraig Harrington was disqualified from a European Tour event after close-up video replays showed his ball moved almost imperceptibly when Harrington was picking up his marker behind the ball.  Harrington denied to comment on the disqualification and left the tournament with tears in his eyes.

Ethics Newsline: April 11, 2011