Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Charley Hoffman is not a happy camper.
The 45-year-old pro golfer took aim at the PGA Tour and USGAin a Friday Instagram postover a penalty rule that resulted in him taking a second penalty stroke on the 13th hole in the second round of the WM Phoenix Open.
After hitting his tee shot into the water, which gave him a penalty stroke, Hoffman said he “took a drop on a side of a hill that no grass” for his third. After two drops, he finally attempted to settle the ball on a small patch of grass.
“What a joke @usga @pgatour,” Hoffman wrote in the caption of the Instagram post, later adding, “I was under the impression that the @usga had changed that rule. I was wrong.”
For the image, Hoffman shared a chart displaying his scores for each hole. The golfer took a double-bogey on the par-5 13th hole, according to the stat sheet.
In the caption, Hoffman blamed both PGA Tour rules and officials “for putting out a terrible penalty area line where this could even happen” during a tournament.
“It’s still mind blowing that a group of amateurs rule the professional game of golf,” Hoffman continued. He also suggested there is “no accountability at any level” on the PGA Tour in addition to “no protection for the players at all.”
Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty
“You wonder why guys are wanting to jump ship and go play on another tour,” he added. “Players need transparency, protection and consistency. We don’t have that under the current governing bodies.”
Hoffman then directed his message specifically at PGA Tour commisioner Jay Monahan, telling him, “We need to do better at all levels of the @pgatour. Including myself who represent the players on the board of the Tour.”
“If we don’t we won’t have a Tour any longer!” the golfer said before concluding with, “hopefully there will be a change soon.”
source: people.com
