 |
| Naomichi Ozaki Photo Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images |
It has nothing to do with Ryo Ishikawa... who's currently T16 at the Token Homemate Cup... but instead involves Naomichi Ozaki, a brilliant player at the other end of the age spectrum, playing in the same tournament.
The 55-year-old, known as Joe, has won 32 times on the Japan Tour, has played on the PGA Tour in the 80s and 90s and has recently been playing on the Champions Tour where he's finished 2nd two times. Yesterday however, Ozaki ran afoul of Rule 14-3.
For those who don't have their rule books handy that's the one that deals with "Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment and Unusual Use of Equipment".
The "equipment" in question is being described as a "mouthpiece" and here's what I found most interesting: it seems these "mouthpieces" can actually give a player more distance. From what I understand, the veteran player was discussing the device... and the added distance he got from it... when the realization hit that a mouthpiece, when used for enhancement rather than protection, could be illegal. Rules officials were asked and ultimately the result was disqualification.
For now I've only found this story in Japanese but I'm guessing there'll be more on it by tomorrow. In the meantime I'm trying to figure out where I can obtain one of those mouthpieces.
Thank you Minoru Mike Aoki for sharing this unusual story.
That's a strange one. Curious to see more about it.
ReplyDeleteso aren't those little power bracelets the same thing in essence?
ReplyDeletePerformance Mouthware! Under Amour has a product called ArmourBite®. It's a patented technology that is said to "help any athlete improve strength, endurance and reaction time, reduce athletic stress". So yes madboy it would seem to be pretty much the same as those little power bracelets.
ReplyDeleteSo if the bracelets are allowed why not the mouthpiece??
ReplyDeleteAgree with the shark. I've never felt any difference with one of those magnetic bracelets, though my mom's arthritic hand is noticably better with the bracelet.
ReplyDeleteThe idea behind the mouthpiece is that it puts the jaw in a proper alignment position that relaxes the muscles around the face and neck, working down through the rest of the body. The extra relaxation theoretically makes it easier to turn, adding speed to the swing, and therefore extra yardage. Not sure I buy it, but they are great for people who clench their teeth.
Several years back, the R&A heard Padraig Harrington say that he got an extra 20 yards off the tee with his Hi-Tec shoes because they were so stable. They went out and did a big investigation and found that it wasn't exactly true.
Gotta keep an eye on what you believe from snake-oil salesmen...errr...marketing people.
Yes, actually Court I was just reading in Golf Digest Japan that it was in fact Naomichi Ozaki's own words that led to the DQ. Apparently he casually said something to the effect of, "I'm getting great distance using this mouthpiece" and it was overheard by the competition committee. So quite similar to the Harrington incident. In this case though the decision seems to have been made very quickly and without much of an investigation. Admittedly I'm not sure of the details as my Japanese language skills leave much to be desired.
ReplyDeleteWhat colors does the mouthpiece come in? Can't have too many golf accessories, right?
ReplyDelete