Dustin Johnson had a search party helping him look for a strayed golf ball during the US Open first round after a TV replay showed the exact spot it had gone into the rough
Should TV Replays Be Used To Find Golf Balls?
Dustin Johnson got a great break during the opening round of the US Open when Sky Sports’ Rich Beem found his ball in the rough.
Beemer was part of a huge search party, including playing partners Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, helping Dustin Johnson look for his ball and the TV guys were liasing with those in the studio to look exactly where the ball went.
20-odd people were helping him look for his ball which may not sit well with some, although the real issue here is the fact a TV replay was used to help him locate it.
It was looking like the world number one would have to go back to the tee on the par-4 6th hole which would have brought a double or triple-bogey into play.
However, the search party found the ball after concentrating their search on a small area which they had been told was where DJ’s ball was, after those in the studio informed the on-course reporters where to look.
Is this right?
This doesn’t happen with us in our monthly medals and that is acceptable, because we don’t have dozens of people following us on the fairways or TV cameras filming each and every shot we play.
But surely it is unfair on the other players in the field.
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The lesser-known names will have hit plenty of shots in the rough and it can be almost guaranteed that they didn’t have TV footage helping them search for their balls, and therefore getting a disadvantage.
Johnson co-leads at -1 after the first round but could well be one or two strokes worse off had the TV cameras not picked up the exact area where his ball went in the thick rough.
Edoardo Molinari tweeted: “Anyone finds it a bit “unfair” that a TV replay helps finding a player’s ball??? @usga @randa #usopen”
Anyone finds it a bit “unfair” that a TV replay helps finding a player’s ball??? @usga @randa #usopen
— Edoardo Molinari (@DodoMolinari) June 14, 2018
One user replied saying, “A tv replay and 20 people looking for his ball. He’s 3 off the tee in the weekly medal there.”
Another wrote, “I find it unfair there are 20 people looking for it when we (amateurs) would have to lose it and play a provisional!!”
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In the end, DJ dropped his ball after Beem stood on it and he very nearly made a par, instead tapping in for bogey.
He was out in 33 and came back in 36 for a one under par opening round of 69. That was matched by Ian Poulter, Scott Piercy and Russell Henley.
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