Tiger Woods Avoids Disqualification From The Masters For Cheating, Is Penalized Two Strokes Instead

Tiger Woods will begin Round 3 of the Masters five strokes behind the leader after tournament officials elected to punish him with a two stroke penalty for taking an illegal drop at 15 Friday after this disastrous turn of bad luck.

Debate continues, however, because golf rules generally dictate a player who turns in an improper score card be disqualified; since Tiger's card yesterday didn't feature his penalty for the illegal drop, he's due for a DQ. Course officials, no doubt concerned about their bottom line in a Tiger-less Rounds 3 and 4, averred to sympathy toward the offender. That this bending of the rules comes less than 24 hours after a "rules are rules" punishment of Guan Tianlang, well, that's Augusta National.