David Eger. (AP)
Tiger Woods’ Masters tattler, and the subsequent chaos that led to a two-stroke penalty, have been revealed.
The person originally identified as a “television viewer,” the person who called into Fred Ridley, the Masters’ competition committee chairman, to reveal Woods’ errant drop on the 15th hole during the second round, has been discovered to be David Eger, a Champions tour golfer.
According to Golf.com, Eger, a former tournament director for the PGS and USGA, said he was able to rewind Woods’ shot that hit off of the flagstick and went into the water, forcing him to take a drop.
It was then that he spotted Woods’ transgression.
“I could see there was a divot — not a divot, a divot hole — when he played the shot the second time that was not there the first time,” Eger said. “I played it again and again. I could see that the fairway was spotless the first time he played the shot and there was that divot hole, maybe three or four feet in front of where he played after the drop.”
Eger attempted to move quickly in order to avoid Woods signing an incorrect scorecard, something that can lead to an automatic disqualification according to the rules. Eger called and texted veteran PGA tour official Mickey Bradley, who in turn brought the drop violation to the attention of Ridley and Mark Russell.
Originally, Ridley said that Woods had dropped the ball closer than the ‘three or four feet’ that Eger estimated and that looking at the drop any closer would be “splitting hairs,” clearing Woods of any wrongdoing.
However, after Woods’ comments to ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi following the round, where the golfer said that he went “two yards” further back to drop his shot on 15, and uproar on Twitter, were brought to Ridley’s attention by CBS’ Jim Nantz. Ridley then contacted Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, who relayed the message to Woods.
The next morning, Woods met with Ridley and was assessed the two-stroke penalty and invoking rule 33-7, which allows a wrong committed to be righted, saving him from disqualification.
Also on Wednesday, golf’s governing bodies ruled that Augusta National officials made the correct call not to disqualify Woods for the Masters. A decision that caused great controversy as some thought he should have been disqualified or he should have bowed out of the season’s first major.
The Royal & Ancient (R&A) and United States Golf Association (USGA) released a joint statement explaining in lengthy detail the controversial events. The R&A and USGA determined the original ruling was based on exceptional facts and officials were right not to disqualify Woods but stressed that players are still under an obligation to return a correct scorecard and understand the rules.
Ridley was also on hand that Saturday to address the ruling and whether or not he would have handled it differently.
“There’s not a day that goes by that there are not some things I wish I would have done differently,” Ridley said.
Woods finished in fourth, four strokes behind the eventual winner Adam Scott.
With Reuters
asulla-heffinger@nypost.com