Too bad for Paddie, he's one of my favourite players. This is the second DQ this year due to someone phoning in to the officials. I have very mixed feelings about this, and I do agree with Win that the rules are the rules. I think the issue here is one of application of the rules. If an official who is on the course notices the infraction that is one thing, but I don't know about someone watching on his big-screen TV, reviewing the video to see if the ball moved one dimple's worth. (This may be a slight exaggeration, but maybe not.)
I feel if the on-course official, or someone else who is there and sees / notices the infraction and reports it before the round is closed, then that should be it. Someone outside of the venue who sees an infraction and phones it in is going too far. I read in another post that the ball rolled forward 3 dimples and only rolled back one and a half. Most of us would be DQed every round we play if that were the case. Win says that pros should be held to a higher standard and I believe that they are and that the pros are very honest. Golf is a gentleman's game, it still is and I believe that almost all of the golfers wouldn't knowingly break a rule and try to hide it. Perhaps the infraction should result in a 2-stroke penalty (whatever the penalty is for the infraction), but not a DQ.
Whether you're kneeling on a towel or picking up a ball marker, if the infraction is not noticed by an on-site PGA official or a participant, than the score should stand. It's a shame that a score of 65 is lost to a DQ on a a phone in.
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