CARMEL, Ind. -- Caddies are supposed to help golfers, but they must be careful how they do it.
Take Jeff 'Squeaky' Medlen, the regular caddie for PGA Tour veteran Nick Price. This week, Medlen is tagging along with PGA Championship leader John Daly.
Medlen nearly cost Daly a two-stroke penalty in Saturday's third round.
On the 11th green at Crooked Stick Golf Club, Medlen was helping Daly line up a downhill, left-to-right, 35-foot eagle putt. Medlen thought Daly needed the flag stick tended in the cup because Daly had difficulty seeing the hole.
Daly said he didn't need the flag stick tended and Medlen took it out. The caddie then stood just behind and to the right of the hole to ask if Daly could see the cup.
As he asked Daly the question, the flag stick touched the green about two feet off the right and behind the hole.
Medlen cleared the area a moment later and Daly, who had lined the putt on the left edge of the hole, missed the putt just off the left edge. Daly then tapped in for a birdie 4.
Three viewers watching the match on CBS called PGA and network officials, saying Medlen may have violated Rule 8, Section 2, Part B of the players' rulebook.
The rule states:
'When the player's ball is on the putting green, the player, his partner or either of their caddies may, before but not during the stroke, point out a line for putting, but in so doing the putting green shall not be touched. No mark shall be placed anywhere to indicate a line for putting.'
Daly and Medlen were not aware of any possible violation until Daly had finished the round with a 3-under par 69, putting him at 11-under 205 for the tournament and three shots ahead of Kenny Knox and Craig Stadler.
PGA officials told Daly there may have been a violation and not to sign his scorecard.
Daly became upset and said: 'Why didn't you tell me about this on the course?'
PGA Rules Chairman Larry Startzel said an infraction of 8-2b does not require a player to replace the ball before shooting, so the player is not informed until the round is complete.
'There's no reason to upset the player on the course,' Startzel said later in an interview.
Daly apologized to PGA officials for snapping, though Startzel said the player was 'a perfect gentleman.'
'It was a pretty tense situation,' Startzel said. 'He apologized, but I don't know what he apologized for.'
Daly, Medlen and Bruce Lietzke, Daly's playing partner, walked to a CBS trailer with PGA officials to talk about the incident at 11. The players and caddie explained the flag stick had nothing to do with lining up the putt.
'I guess you learn something every day,' Daly said. 'Squeaky tried to explain it to them. He was kind of hurt. We just talked about it and they made a final decision.'
After about 15 minutes of discussion, Startzel accepted Daly's version of events and let the birdie stand on the par-5 533-yard 11th.
Earlier this year, PGA Tour officials had a controversy involving TV viewer telephone calls alerting them to rules infractions. Startzel said this incident proves viewer participation is a proper way of obtaining evidence in such cases.
'We are charged with using all available evidence,' Startzel said. 'This one helped a player. This is a very positive end.'
Daly said after the incident was resolved he was thankful he wasn't told about the possible penalty on the course.
'I might have gone 10-over the rest of the holes,' he said.
With the ordeal behind him, Daly is looking forward to the final round before crowd that is clearly behind him.
'I had, on about 12 or 13 holes, chills running down my whole body,' said Daly, whose three rounds this week are his only experience on the second-longest course in PGA championship history. 'The fans have been super for me. I'd love to win it for them.'
