The Ramsay Rule: Keep Winning, Despite Unfortunate Infractions

Scot Turns Back Simpson, On Verge Of Making History At U.S. Amateur

By Stuart Hall

Chaska, Minn. – If nothing else at this week’s U.S. Amateur, Richie Ramsay is getting a crash course on the Rules of Golf. Fortunately for him, the egregious penalties have yet to halt his run to Sunday’s 36-hole final against John Kelly at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Richie Ramsay of Scotland plays his tee shot on 17 in Saturday's semifinal match. (John Mummert/USGA)

Holding a 2-up lead through 15 holes on Saturday against Wake Forest All-American Webb Simpson of Raleigh, N.C., Ramsay grounded his club in a hazard – a violation of Rule 13-4 – and incurred a loss-of-hole penalty. Ramsay, though, still managed to pull off a 1-up win over Simpson.

In Friday’s quarterfinal match against 17-year-old Rickie Fowler, Ramsay’s caddie, Thomas Buller, touched his line of putt on the 17th green and Ramsay incurred another loss-of-hole penalty that squared his match.

Ramsay ultimately won with a birdie at the 21st hole.

"I really don't know what happened on 16," said Ramsay, 23, of Aberdeen, Scotland, and a member of the 2005 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. "I didn't think I grounded my club. But I just basically said to [Simpson], ‘I didn't do anything intentional.’ And from my viewpoint, I didn't ground my club. But obviously someone's maybe seen something that showed it to be different."

Publicly, Ramsay wasn’t fazed by the ruling.

"I normally have a few words to myself whether it's in my head or maybe just a little mutter under my breath," Ramsay said. "Not the words that you could probably write down. Just some choice words probably to myself to sort of just be a bit more – a bit more focused on what I'm doing and concentrate that bit harder so that I don't make any mistakes."

At the 182-yard, par-3 17th hole, Ramsay ran his birdie putt attempt past the hole by 6 feet and was composed in making the come-backer to keep his 1-up lead. On 18, Ramsay’s approach found the front-left greenside bunker, but then Simpson hit into the right bunker, blasted his third shot over the green before his fourth shot found the putting surface.

"I would have gone for the pin from my bunker shot, but I knew I had to knock it out and two-putt," said Ramsay, who was conceded his putt for bogey and the win.

The win has Ramsay, a senior at the University of Stirling, on the brink of history. A win on Sunday would make Ramsay the first Scottish player to win a U.S. Golf Association title since Tommy Armour won the 1927 U.S. Open and the first since Findlay Douglas in 1898 to take the U.S. Amateur.

	Webb Simpson tries to get his ball to keep rolling on a birdie attempt at the 11th hole during Saturday's semifinal match. (John Mummert/USGA)

Winning Saturday also secured Ramsay’s spot in next year’s U.S. Open and a likely invitation to the Masters. If he wins Sunday, he’ll also be exempt for the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie, just a short drive south from his hometown.

Ramsay, though, was not allowing himself to look that too far in advance. For the time being, Ramsay plans on attending the European Tour Qualifying School as an amateur to try his mettle there. And unless he secures his Tour card, Ramsay will remain an amateur possibly through next year’s Walker Cup Match at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland.

"I've always had the Walker Cup in the back of my mind 2007," said Ramsay, who was held out of both singles sessions at the ’05 Match at Chicago Golf Club. "That was the best experience I've ever had on the golf course in Chicago. It’s fantastic. But at the same time it's the worst because it was a narrow [one-point] loss, but it's a loss all the same. I'm sure there are a few boys out there who want to go and rectify that."

Ramsay’s performance this week should put him in good stead for next year’s team. And the only reason he was in the field this week came as a result of an exemption for being a member on last year’s GB&I team. Otherwise, Ramsay admitted he could not have justified coming to the United States just to play a 36-hole sectional qualifier.

He certainly has made the most of his stay, though.

From the outset of Saturday’s second semifinal match, Ramsay was in control. He won the opening hole with a nifty up-and-down par from the front greenside bunker, and then chipped in from the collar from 45 feet for birdie at the par-3 fourth.

Ramsay went 3 up at both the par-4 sixth hole and the par-5 11th before losing Nos. 12 and 14 holes to hold a 1-up lead. After a birdie at the par-5 15th hole, Ramsay then ran afoul of the rules on 16.

Simpson, who had also driven his tee shot wayward left, was surprised by the ruling.

"When I heard the practice swing, I was thinking, that's kind of a loud practice swing to have in a hazard," he said. "And I walked over there and I saw him ground it a couple of times. [The Rules officials] were right there and TV caught it I guess."

Afterward, Ramsay was asked what theatrics he had planned for Sunday.

"A win," he said.

And, hopefully, no Rules situations.

Stuart Hall is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on usamateur.org.