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AUGUSTA, Ga. – The spirit of Bobby Jones showed up at Augusta National Friday.
Amateur Michael Thompson, a senior at the University of Alabama, was facing a birdie putt on No. 15 that would take him to 3 over par for the tournament and safely into the weekend if he could maintain his position over the final three holes.
Thompson took a couple of practice strokes, settled his feet into position and placed the putter behind the ball.
Gravity and Augusta’s slick greens suddenly took over. Thompson’s ball moved a fraction of an inch closer to the hole.
That’s when the influence of Jones, the creator of Augusta National, was felt. Thompson called to a rules official and turned himself in as soon as the ball moved.
Under the Rule 18-2, Thompson had no option but to replace the ball and add a one-stroke penalty to his card.
Thompson missed the subsequent putt, and his chances of becoming the low amateur all but went out the window. Thompson added bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17 holes to finish at 7 over par to miss the cut by four shots.
Jones once famously called a penalty on himself. When lauded for his action, he uttered the memorable remark: “You might as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.”
There is every chance Thompson’s crime would have gone unnoticed had he kept quiet. However, that is not in his DNA. He did the honorable thing, the same thing 99.9% of golfers would do in the same situation.
“I did ground my club,” Thompson said. “I think the ball was in the process of moving as I put my club down, and then it just moved a whole bunch.
“It’s just the part of the game that brings out the best in people and also brings out the worst in people when people don’t follow the rules, especially out here in front of all these people.”
It’s not the first time Thompson has called a penalty on himself.
“The most memorable one that happened to me was in high school. It happened and I called it on myself. Nobody else saw it. I called a penalty on myself. That’s something you’ve got to do. It’s part of the game.
“That’s the person I am. I’m very honest and trustworthy. I don’t want to cheat.”
He didn’t. He called the penalty on himself and set a precedent for golfers everywhere.
Thompson didn’t know about the Bobby Jones incident. He’s too young. Mind you, it didn’t matter – there was no danger of Thompson overriding the rules of golf.
“That just shows the integrity of the man, and that’s why I’m proud to be his coach,” said Alabama head coach Jay Seawell.
“It’s a big deal for a young man to do that. There are many things in his life that will show us our integrity, and that’s one of the things that will make him special.”
Playing companion Ben Crenshaw has seen much in his long career. What Thompson did impressed the two-time Masters Champion.
“He handled himself beautifully. I was hoping he hadn’t grounded his club, and I asked him if he did and he said yes. You should not dismiss lightly what he did.”
And Jones? Crenshaw knows the history of the game better than most players. The Texan had no doubt what Jones would be doing in that great clubhouse in the sky.
“He’s got a nice warm smile on his face right now,” Crenshaw said.
Posted: 4/11/2008
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