Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Masters have come and gone, with Adam Scott becoming the first Australian to win the tournament. Scott sank an incredible putt on the 18th hole to force a sudden-death playoff with Angel Cabrera where Scott eventually become the victor.
It was an incredible ending to one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. But some of the attention has been placed on a controversial penalty assessed to Tiger Woods. On Friday, Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty for taking an illegal drop on the 15th hole. The penalty ultimately wouldn't have won the tournament for Woods, but it still left many questioning the call (yes, even in golf the "refs" can't get it right).
Hitting a chip shot on the fairway, Woods hits the flagstick with the ball which then rolls into the water, forcing Woods to take a one-stroke penalty. Woods was required to drop his ball "as nearly as possible" to his original location. Woods, however, was penalized for an improper drop because the ball was ruled to be in a different location.
The Augusta Chronicle posted two pictures of Woods' shots from the fairway, showing how he should not have been penalized. Using the divots in the fairway, the Augusta Chronicle reasoned that Woods' ball was nearly in the exact position.
You make the call: Should Woods have been penalized because of an improper drop?
Regretful toss
Part of the excitement of going to a baseball game is the potential to catch one of the game balls. Sure, a home run ball is ideal, but any ball will do. It's just one of the reasons why baseball is great.
At Sunday's Detroit Tigers-Oakland Athletics game, Victor Martinez hit a foul ball into the upper deck of O.co Coliseum. The fan who caught the ball offered it up to a young boy a few seats away.
As the father of the young boy thanks the fan for the ball, the boy quickly throws the ball back onto the field. Once the kid realized what he had done, he was upset and sat with his face in his lap. The older brother and father were definitely not happy about it. You win some, you lose some, and sometimes you just throw it back.
John Wall redemption
On June 17, 2011, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall was asked to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game between the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. The pitch, if it can be called that, was dubbed the "worst first pitch ever." Trust me, it definitely was.
However, Wall was given a chance to redeem himself on Sunday as the Nationals concluded a three-game series with the White Sox at Nationals Park. The pitch was better than his first attempts, but still shows he doesn't have a future as a pitcher in the big leagues. At least he's a talented basketball player.
