Golf Rules

Tomorrow, Buddy Resurreccion will fly from Manila to San Francisco -- courtesy of Philippine Airlines -- to attend a seminar on the Rules of Golf. This is not a first for Buddy. He's gone to a Rules workshop before, one also conducted by the youthful Kendra Graham, beauty and brains guru in charge of women's amateur competitions of the USGA; what's remarkable about this trip is that Buddy will be spending his own money.

Why isn't the NGAP (National Golf Association of the Philippines) helping Buddy out with his seminar fee and living expenses? If it's broke, why didn't it get a sponsor for him? Heaven knows this golf-mad country is short of Rules officials; and yet it's been years since the NGAP sent a competent person for further training abroad. Shortage of money, lack of business savvy, or an uncaring attitude bordering on criminal negligence?

But who's Buddy Resurreccion? "A good role model for the youth" FVR once responded when I asked him if he knew Buddy. At the time, Buddy, a PMA-trained captain, was manager of the Aguinaldo Golf Club and Fidel V. Ramos the Defense Secretary. But Buddy, disillusioned with military life, resigned his commission and left to manage a golf club in Indonesia. Later returning home, he became the deputy director of the PGAP (Professional Golfers Association of the Philippines) and chief editor of the Asian edition of Golf magazine -- and has been officiating at all important tournaments throughout the country.

I've learned belatedly that there were no domestic flights to the South on New Year's Day. Furthermore, The STAR's online edition was Y2K'ed and couldn't be accessed from the archives. That means Visayan and Mindanaoan golfers who rely on planes to bring them the Manila dailies, failed to read the (ehem) pearls of wisdom dispensed in my column on Jan. 1.

For their sake, I will reprise the Q&A portion, one that dealt with High-Low, a betting format that's popular among many golfing barkadas all over this fair land. (Those who've read it all before -- just skip the next part and go to the joke at the bottom.)

In a regular four-ball match, two play their better ball against the better ball of two other players; e.g., the side that scores 4 and 9 on a hole would top the opposing side's 5 and 6 -- because only one side's better ball, a 4, would be matched against the other side's better ball, a 5.

In High-Low, however, both the better ball and the worse ball of one side are matched against the better ball and worse ball of the other side.

Q. [from Rene P. Sarmiento, [email protected]] In the high-low format of competition, what is the penalty if the player's ball (in our case, that of the very debonair vice-mayor of Cebu City, Nato Osmeña) hits his partner's bag?

A. Osmeña's penalty is loss of hole (Rule 19-2a), for high-low is a variation of four-ball match play, in which two play their high and low balls against the high and low balls of two other players (see "four-ball" match play definition under Rule 30).

Osmeña's penalty applies to him alone and not to his partner (Rule 30-3f, 2nd paragraph).

Q. What then is the score for the hole if the other side had a 7 and a 5 while Osmeña's partner had a 6?

A. Osmeña's loss-of-hole penalty automatically makes him lose a point to the other side's 7 while his partner's 6 loses to the other side's 5. Therefore, Osmeña's side loses 2 points on that hole. However, if Osmeña's partner scored a 4 instead, he would have beaten the other side's 5 and hence both sides would have scored 1 point each -- no blood, in other words.

Q. May we combine stroke play and match play Rules in high-low?

A. No. These two formats are incompatible; it is not permissible to combine them. Apply Rules for match play alone.

[Acknowledgement: Members of the Rules Panel that I consulted with regard to high-low are the following: Mike Hudson, Merv Simpson, Butch Brodett and Charles Bates.]

Fred had tried to be particularly careful about his language as he played with his preacher. But on the twelfth hole, when he twice failed to hit out of a sand trap, he lost his resolve and let fly with a string of expletives.

The preacher felt obliged to respond. "I have observed," said he in a calm voice, "the best golfers do not use foul language."

"I guess not," retorted Fred. "What the hell do they have to cuss about?"

Fax questions & comments to 521-8582 or E-mail to [email protected]