Why Tiger Woods Infamously Escaped Disqualification Despite Admitting That He Cheated at the 2013 Masters

World-renowned golfer, Tiger Woods, has achieved a lot in his career, and luck was also the reason. However, the most significant luckiest moment was in 2013. He escaped disqualification post-admission of cheating. But why?  

The rules are the same for everyone, be it a 14-year-old young golfer or 15 times major championship winner. However, the interpretation of the rules differs according to the situation. It wasn’t even 24 hours after Chinese teenager, Guan Tianlang, faced a penalty for slow play in 2013. The illegal drop of Tiger Woods followed it during the Masters. However, players sometimes call penalties to themselves without knowing the rules.

How was Tiger Woods lucky?

During the Masters championship in 2013, the G.O.A.T. of golf was tied in the second round after playing 14 -holes. In his third shot to the long 15th, he hit the flagstick, and it rebounded into the pond right in front of the green on the grounds of Augusta. As a result, Woods had three options he could take action on. The first was dropping the ball in the designated drop zone, short of the pond. Second, he had the option of going as back as possible for him on the line the ball had last crossed. Or he could go back and play the ball.

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“The committee waived the penalty of disqualification under Rule 33 as the Committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player’s round,” said Masters officials. They made the rule to guard any player from facing disqualification due to unawareness of the rule. Minute movements which might not be noticed by high-definition cameras capture it, like what happened with Padraig Harrington in Abu Dhabi in 2011. 

How it happened, you might wonder. The legendary golfer pitched on and escaped with “just” a bogey. He finished his round at three under. The club initially found no issues with his drop until pointed out by a viewer. Therefore, they decided to review his drop, deemed illegal because he dropped the golf ball “two yards further back.” Usually, this should lead to a penalty. However, the new amendment saved Woods from disqualification.

How did Woods react to his illegal drop?

Woods said he was unaware of the illegal drop and signed the card. But did the pro golfer drop the ball as close as possible? According to him, he did, however, pictures and the TV replays of his drop direct in a different direction. 

“I went back to where I played it from, but I went two yards further back,” said Woods, explaining his drop. The golfer tried to take two yards off, hitting whatever he felt. According to the pro golfer, his shot should land him short of the flag; however, he did not have it hit the flag or skip over the back.

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