I’ve played all around the country in a lot of tournaments, a lot of highly competitive tournaments and club professional events, and you always hear rumors about guys (who might try to bend the rules). You just hope it never occurs in front of your face. I’ve been fortunate that it never has.
When you hear rumors about someone, you don’t really watch them. You can’t really afford to do that. Golf is such a mental game and you’re playing for yourself, so you have to concentrate on what you’re doing. You’ve got to pay attention to your own game and your own situation. But if you hear about a guy who has that reputation, you do have a tendency to maybe look in their direction more often than you would if they didn’t have a reputation.
When you get to the highest level, there are some things that can be done to bend the rules. It could be something like the incorrect marking of the golf ball or a player who has a tendency to drop the ball in a more favorable position. A few times I’ve heard of some professionals and amateurs who improve their lie in the rough. I don’t think it happens very often. No one has ever come up to me and said they’ve done it.
Marking the ball incorrectly on the green may not seem like a big deal, but if you mark it a quarter-inch to the left or a quarter-inch to the right, now you may be able to get around a spike mark or a blemish on the green. That can make a big difference.
Sometimes you’re the only one who can see the infraction. I’ve had balls move when I’ve been moving a loose impediment. You tell your playing partner what happened and take the penalty. Golf is such a game of conscience, and I think it would be tough to go out there and play golf and know you did not take the penalty.
That’s the good thing about golf. It’s a very honorable game. I think there’s very little cheating that goes on.
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