Tiger's Illegal Masters Drop

I honestly thought this story was over, but Tiger's playing partner on this fateful day at the Masters decided to answer a few questions about it this week.  Scott Piercy was quoted, "In no way was he trying to cheat."

Hey Scott, read the fucking rule book.  Intent to cheat has nothing to do with it.  Ignorance to the rules has never been and never will be an excuse.  The press conference charade the following morning made me want to take a shower.  The amount of lawyers sitting around conjuring up a way to keep from having to DQ the Son of God was laughable.

Here is the reasoning they gave, which still does not hold up to even a loose understanding of the rules.  1. Tiger makes accidental mistake.  (Yes, I believe it was an accident of him confusing two rules.) 2. The Rules Committee claims to have reviewed the tape, and they decided no penalty should be assessed.  3. Tiger is unaware and UNTOLD of the controversy, and he signs an incorrect scorecard.

Whether or not they even reviewed the tape is irrelevant.  The only relevant thing is whether or not they told him there had been a review.  If he was told before signing, then he should not have even been assessed a penalty.  But he wasn't.  He didn't know.  He broke a rule, and he signed a scorecard for lower than his actual score.  This is not grounds for disqualification -- it's automatic.  But I guess ratings are reason enough to shit on the integrity of the game.