There are 3 issues that are being confused here. The first 2 apply to this specific situation.
1) Michelle broke the rule by crossing the magic line before signing her card. She was DQ'd and did not at any time suggest she was being treated unfairly BTW. So far, so good. That was Michelle's bad.
2) The tournament/LPGA officials "discovered" some 18 hours after the fact that this transgression took place ? This is bovine
. They know the exact time line and precise chain of communication that prompted this "discovery". MW fighting for the lead on Saturday = ratings. If that was not the motivation for their tardiness then they need to provide a better explanation of this chain of events than they've put forth so far. That was the LPGA's bad.
3) This one is a more global observation. It's a monumentally stupid rule regardless of who falls victim to it. The boundaries of the scorinmg tent... white demarcation lines... sheesh. It's just another manifestation of the anal mentality that pervades golf's ruling bodies. Here's my new rule to cover this situation. Whomever doesn't sign their card before they close up shop today, doesn't tee off tomorrow.