‘Only guy that knew it:’ PGA Tour leader stunningly blows rules whistle on himself

Cameron Young, in the end, lost no ground. 

He may have also picked up a few followers. 

What unfolded before that was theater during Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour’s Cadillac Championship. On his second shot on the second hole at Trump National Doral, Young placed his iron behind his ball, took his iron just over halfway back, then paused, then looked at his ball. He said it moved slightly forward. 

Young called for an official. In question was what moved the ball. Could it have been Young? Could it have been something else? Young was also leading by five. The official arrived, and Golf Channel mics picked up Young telling him that he didn’t know “for sure” whether he had caused the ball to move, before saying that he touched the grass and the ball rolled. The official told him he would be assessed a one-shot penalty. Young also asked for a video review, and the infraction wasn’t changed.  

In play in this scenario was rule 9.2b (2) of the Rules of Golf, which reads this way:

“The player, the opponent or an outside influence is treated as having caused the ball to move only if it is known or virtually certain to be the cause. If it is not known or virtually certain that at least one of these was the cause, the ball is treated as having been moved by natural forces. In applying this standard, all reasonably available information must be considered, which means all information the player knows or can get with reasonable effort and without unreasonably delaying play.”

And what does “known or virtually certain” mean? The Rules of Golf say this: “Known or virtually certain means more than just possible or probable. It means that either there is conclusive evidence that the event in question happened to the player’s ball, such as when the player or other witnesses saw it happen; or although there is a very small degree of doubt, all reasonably available information shows that it is at least 95 percent likely that the event in question happened.”

On the Golf Channel broadcast, announcer Steve Sands and analysts Smylie Kaufman and Curt Byrum said this:

Said Kaufman: “Most players in that situation will protect the field. And being able to sleep at night.” 

Said Sands: “But he said: ‘I wasn’t sure.’” 

Said Byrum: “By placing the club behind the ball, he wasn’t sure that’s what made the ball move or not. But … if you’re going to err on the side of caution, you’d have to call the penalty on yourself.” 

Said Kaufman: “I think you have to. Any time you put your club behind the golf ball and the ball moves and you touch the ground, you have to assume that’s what it was.”

Of course, Young could have also said nothing about the ball movement, a thought that wasn’t lost on on-course analyst Roger Maltbie. 

“Makes you proud to be a golfer,” he said on Golf Channel. “He’s the only guy that knew it. I think that’s very impressive.”

As was what followed. 

Young hit his third stroke to 13 feet. 

Then made the par putt.   

And his lead stayed at five.