More On The Now-Infamous 88 Rule

Here’s the origin of the now-infamous 88 Rule on the LPGA, which says that a non-member who shoots 88 or higher is banned from playing in Tour events for a year. That’s the rule that Michelle Wie nearly ran afoul of last weekend:

Barb Trammell, the longtime chief rules official for the LPGA until leaving last year, traced the policy to 1990 when players from the Teaching & Club Pro division competed in tournaments. Some of them struggled, and it became a problem for regular tour members. She recalled two situations that led to what is now known as the “88 Rule.”

“We had a T&CP player in the field who shot 100-plus, and for the players who were paired with her, it was a distraction, as you can imagine,” Trammell said. “The second time, it was a tour player paired with a T&CP player, who made the turn in 52 or 53. The tour player said, ‘Either you’re going to withdraw or I am.’ And the tour player withdrew at the turn.”

That’s when players went to the LPGA board, and the policy was adopted.

The rule makes perfect sense in this light. More in the Honolulu Advertiser