That'll Teach You To Be Nice, Boo

There's no reason to get into a lot of the details, but there's a golfer named Tom Johnson, and yesterday, he had this long shot that he had to play from on the green, off the green, and then back on. He hit the shot, and he hit it well, but he didn't tell his caddy to remove the pin, which is something he should have done. If his ball hit the pin, it would have cost him a two-stroke penalty.

But Johnson wasn't thinking about that. He was playing with a fellow named Boo Weekley, though, who saw what was about to happen. And Boo, much like his namesake, Boo Radley, tried to step in and do the heroic thing. He ran over to the pin and pulled it out, saving Johnson a two-stroke penalty. Hooray for sportsmanship. Let's all join hands and sing.

But you know who doesn't want to join hands and sing with us? PGA Tour officials. As it turns out, what Weekley did was a breach of PGA Tour rules; he's not allowed to mess with the pin unless Tom Johnson authorizes him. Johnson didn't, because Johnson is a doofus. So Weekley, in the process of trying to be a nice guy and save Johnson a couple of strokes, shafted himself with a two-stroke penalty.

That might be a lamer rule than all of the NFL's anti-celebration policies. It would technically not be against PGA rules for Weekley to lift up his shirt and begin massaging his nipples in Johnson's backswing, but taking the pin out to help avoid a penalty? Well, we just can't have that Weekley, you unruly heathen.

Still, I applaud Boo's effort to do the sportsmanlike thing. He turned out to be a very nice person. But most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.

Weekley's Good-Natured Gaffe Costs Him [Casper Star Tribune]