10 Feb Rules official has his 15 minutes of fame in Dubai

Is it just me but seeing players putt with the flagstick in seems so strange?

Controversy is rife in golf at the moment and I did warn of the rule changes months ago together with the importance of players making schedules that suit them.

The unfortunate Li Haotong was hit with a harsh and costly two-shot penalty in the Dubai event last month, and it is generally considered that a rather over enthusiastic rules official wanted his 15 minutes of fame — much to the detriment of the visibly shocked Chinese player. And those who played in Saudi Arabia last week are probably wishing that they had organised their schedules somewhat differently.

More than a few wealthy players must be finding it extremely hard in defending their decision together with the level of the sand that many heads were conveniently buried in.

Just what happened to Sergio Garcia will undoubtedly come out in the wash, however, one can only assume that he found himself mentally not wanting to swing a club last week. I’ve touched on several times that all planets must be aligned for a week of good golf. A situation with your wife, girlfriend or any other problem that life will hit you with will make a mental breakdown on the course very likely.

Meanwhile, Johnny Miller commentated for the last time during last week’s Phoenix Open. The 71-year-old tried to find some semblance of normalcy in his routine. He rummaged through his NBC Sports backpack for his black-rimmed glasses and went to work, like he’s done for 354 prior events: flipping through his yardage book, and marking hole locations with a red Sharpie, highlighting runoff areas, fall lines and carry distances. His thick white binder contained all of the bio sheets of the players in contention.

It’s the end of another era for Miller, and let’s not forget that he was a phenomenal player winning many tournaments, including the US and British Opens.

There are few who get it right when it comes to informing viewers of what they’re looking at. The correct, honest, knowledgeable and witty comment that comes at the right time is so important and those who can do it well you can count on one hand. Henry Longhurst, Peter Alliss, Sam Torrance, Nick Faldo come to mind.

Only those who have great experience, and perhaps have been tournament players themselves can understand and fully grasp what to say and — more importantly — when to say it.

Out of Bounds: Spare a thought for Ben Wright, the TV golf commentator who lost his job when he said that “women are handicapped by having boobs” that get in the way of keeping their left arm straight.