There's silliness, there's craziness, and then there's insanity.



And that latter category is where we file the PGA Tour's recent reiteration of its stance on allowing fans to phone in when they see a rules infraction.



This latest tempest arose after two high-profile disqualifications earlier this season — Camilo Villegas at the PGA's season opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and Padraig Harrington at a PGA European Tour event in Abu Dhabi.



In both cases, the player was disqualified after a viewer noticed a rules infraction that went unpenalized. Both Villegas and Harrington were assessed a two-stroke penalty, but since the penalty came after each had already signed his scorecard, officials had no choice but to disqualify them.



For Villegas, who moved a loose impediment while his ball was in motion, his accuser sent an e-mail (update: this was actually sent in via Twitter), which was not seen by officials until after his round was over.



For Harrington, only those viewing the broadcast in high definition could reasonably determine a rule had been breached. The two-time British Open champ failed to replace his ball on the green, which moved slightly when he picked up his marking coin.



And oh yeah, Harrington's "accuser" did his work via e-mail, too.



The guy didn't even the decency to call.



Making this situation even stickier is PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem's comments last week that halting fan input on rules infraction is "not an option."



"We like the fact that people call in," Finchem told the Associated Press. "We don't want to turn these people off. We want to accept the information and deal with it."



Well, Mr. Finchem, here's how you deal with it:



Ignore it.



Golf is the only sport that allows for fans, sitting at home, to call (or e-mail) with rules infractions. Does the NBA allow for fans to assess traveling calls on Kobe Bryant? Does Major League Baseball let fans determine that Tim Lincecum's last pitch was not a strike?



No, and they're the better for it. Those sports let their referees and umpires do the work.



At this point, you may cry, "But you don't appreciate the game of golf! You don't respect the rules and traditions of the game! It's always been up to the players themselves to monitor themselves!"



Only one of those statements is true — it is up to the player, which makes golf so great. No need for zebras with whistles roaming the fairways.



It's a game of honor, and it should remain that way.



So why then does Bob-On-The-Couch get to whip out his iPhone and send an e-mail (an e-mail, really, seriously, these people can't even call?), which completely undermines the integrity and honor the game espouses?



Someone, please tell me, what sense does that make?



If a player commits a penalty, has no idea they've committed said infraction, and signs for his score after the round, why should they be DQ'ed?



There has to be another way here, a way dictated more by common sense than some misguided attempt to affirm the integrity of the game.



Finchem, to his credit, has asked the USGA, the arbiter of golf rulings in North American, to review the Rules of Golf and see if something better can be done than simply sending a player home without a check.



Instead, how about a two-shot penalty, assessed even after a scorecard has been checked and signed? It's a gray area, for sure, and don't take my word for it.



There's a good point Country Club of Harrisburg pro Tony Greidanus brings up:



"Only a small portion of the field is exposed on TV. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson receive more air time than any golfers in history. They have millions of rules officials watching their every move, whereas the rest of the field may not receive any air time at all."



And there's Carlisle Country Club golf pro Chip Richter's view:



"In my opinion if there's no intent or willful misconduct and the round has closed but the competition has not, why in the world can't we use our heads and allow a penalty to be assessed after the round?"



For the conservative world of golf, a change like that would be akin to a liberal mutiny, but it would make sense — give the tournament officials leeway to assess a penalty after the round in extreme situations.



And better yet, tell the fans while they're loved and wanted, their help in administering the rules is not needed.



Now that sounds pretty sane to me.

