Tag: Golf rules

Jon Rahm stepped in to defend Hideki Matsuyama to a rules official at 2022 BMW Championship

A rules official asked if the ball had moved due to Matsuyama’s swing.

Jon Rahm has struggled through the opening stages of the BMW Championship, posting a 73 during Thursday’s first round and then starting Friday’s second round with bogeys on two of his first seven holes.

But that didn’t stop the world’s fifth-ranked player from stepping in when a PGA Tour rules official appeared ready to penalize Hideki Matsuyama after the 2021 Masters champ took a practice swing from the rough alongside a bunker on No. 7 only to see the ball roll then back in the bunker.

Matsuyama’s swing wasn’t near the ball, and he instantly looked up at his caddie in horror when he realized it had dropped in the sand. Since the ball was resting in an awkward spot just outside the bunker, the Japanese standout would have needed to swing while standing inside the bunker to have any shot at getting the ball near the flag.

A rules official came over and asked if the ball had moved due to Matsuyama’s swing, and Rahm stepped in to insist that was not the case.

The official also asked about the timeline of the ball’s movement — if it came directly after Matsuyama’s practice swing.

“It could have fallen at any time,” Rahm said. “He did not make it move.”

After a discussion, the rules official allowed Matsuyama to play the ball from the bunker, a much easier shot than the one he previously faced.

Matsuyama, who opened with birdies on four of the previous six holes, hit his sand wedge to inside 11 feet and made the par putt to stay 5 under for the tournament.

According to the Rules of Golf:

Rule 9: Ball Played as It Lies; Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved
Purpose of Rule: Rule 9 covers a central principle of the game: “play the ball as it lies.”

If the player’s ball comes to rest and is then moved by natural forces such as wind or water, the player normally must play it from its new spot.

If a ball at rest is lifted or moved by anyone or any outside influence before the stroke is made, the ball must be replaced on its original spot.

Players should take care when near any ball at rest, and a player who causes his or her own ball or an opponent’s ball to move will normally get a penalty (except on the putting green).

Since the swing and the ball movement happened concurrently, rules officials could still look at the video and change any ruling.

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Golf rules: Why Bryson DeChambeau got relief from a sprinkler and Thomas Pieters didn’t at the WGC-Dell Match Play

An odd course marking was changed mid-day Wednesday.

AUSTIN, Texas — While Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t thrilled with his consistency during his return to action on Wednesday, he was the beneficiary of a favorable ruling during the opening round of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, one that warranted an explanation from PGA Tour Chief Referee Gary Young.

During pool play, Thomas Pieters hit a ball that landed against a sprinkler on the 13th hole at Austin Country Club.

Pieters, who was battling Tom Hoge, was not extended relief because a marked penalty line touched the sprinkler head region. He lost the hole but went on to win the match, 2 and 1.

But Young said the line should have been painted around the area, a mistake he said might have been the result of painting the line during windy conditions.

When Bryson DeChambeau hit a ball into the same area later in the day, rules officials had already decided the intention of the line was to allow for a drop from the sprinkler. DeChambeau was given a drop, salvaged a par on the hole, and went on to tie Richard Bland in his opening-round match.

WGC-Match Play: Yardage book | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ | Thursday tee times, TV info

Here’s Young’s full explanation:

“Obviously, in match play, each match is its own individual story … To me, two wrongs don’t make a right. So to make the correction before Bryson’s match got there was important when we heard about the original ruling. The way the penalty area is marked, the line — and as you look at them out on the golf course — the line kind of goes around each sprinkler head, keeping it in the general area of the golf course, not in the penalty area, that way players always going to get relief.

“When the golf course was marked the line got a little bit closer. Obviously, there’s a lot of wind when you’re marking these golf courses. The line got a little too close to it. The official who ruled on it was going based on what he was looking at, okay?

“Obviously, the intention was to keep them all out outside, but when he was looking at it, he ruled on it based on the fact that that red line was technically touching both the ball and the sprinkler head. So at that time, I don’t want to say he ruled incorrectly because I think he ruled based on what he’s looking at it. It then got brought to our attention, we talked about it as a committee and said, and felt very firmly two wrongs don’t make a right. We’ve got to correct this because clearly, it should be outside.

“As they were down on their way down there with some paint to correct the line, the Bryson situation came up. He called me on the phone and asked, he said, ‘I’ve got the same situation. Now that I know the intention was to have it outside the penalty area, are you comfortable with me ruling on it that way?’ And I said, ‘yes, I want you to rule on that way because we’re about to change the marking on it.’ There was nothing we could do to fix the Thomas Pieters situation, it was over with, but just to get it right, was important.

“It’s the great part of the fact that this is match play and we can make those changes because each individual match, you know, you could change something like that. If it was a stroke-play event, we would had to keep it that way through the entire day until all competitors finish their round and then make the change. But because of match play, we did it in between.”

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Rules of golf: Slow play, a missed re-start, bad advice and even fire ants highlight 2021

Some rules violations hit harder than others, while others just make you scratch your head.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all on the golf course, something else comes along to baffle fans, players, and rules officials alike.

The rules of golf can come up and bite you (pun intended: see fire ants below), if you’re not paying attention. Other times, weird things just happen. Further still, sometimes golfers simply don’t know a particular rule.

New rules of golf were rolled out on Jan. 1, 2019, but most of what trips golfers up continues to be of the tried-and-true variety.

As we get set to close out the year that was 2021, here’s a rundown of some of the memorable moments that involved rules violations.

Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio, Beth Ann Nichols, Adam Schupak and Adam Woodard contributed to this article.

Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson involved in a bizarre rules infraction at Hero World Challenge

A mix-up regarding the 9th and 17th tee box for Sunday’s final round led to some confusion.

NASSAU, Bahamas – It’s been one of those weeks for Jordan Spieth.

With rounds of 71-72-75, he began the final day of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in last place. His third round ended when his ball moved on the 18th green and he forgot to replace it before hitting his next putt. That resulted in a two-stroke penalty.

Well, in Sunday’s final round, Spieth and defending champion Henrik Stenson were involved in a bizarre penalty situation. Follow along.

When the two reached the par-5 ninth hole, they naturally teed off. Trouble is, they teed off from the tee markers representing the teeing area for the par-3 17th hole. Yes, there is a large teeing area that is home for both the tee boxes for the ninth and 17th holes.

The tee box on the 17th hole had moved overnight to where the tee box was for the ninth hole during the third round. The tee box for the ninth hole in the final round was moved up. Multiple signs were posted alerting the players.

Spieth and Stenson were informed of their violation in the fairway of the ninth hole by chief referee Stephen Cox. The two returned to the tee box and hit from the proper tee. Each was assessed a two-shot penalty.

If Spieth and Stenson had teed off on the 10th hole, they would have been disqualified.

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Rules Guru explains: Stickers caused Rory Sabbatini’s club to become non-conforming

We called on our Rules Guru, Ron Gaines, to give us a little more clarity.

Rory Sabbatini was disqualified from the RSM Classic this week, due to a reflective sticker on his club. Sabbatini had started the tournament with a 68 on Thursday, but was sent packing from St. Simons Island, Georgia, after a discussion with PGA Tour official John Mutch.

Earlier this week, our Steve DiMeglio outlined the issue in a story.

Under Rule 4.1 of the Rules of Golf, Sabbatini was DQ’d for having a non-conforming external attachment on one of his fairway woods. Mutch, senior tournament director equipment standards, said Sabbatini had non-conforming stickers on the face of the club.

Some players use reflective dots (stickers) and a launch monitor to track clubhead speed and distance. Sabbatini likely just forgot he had them on the fairway wood.

And while that assessment is mostly correct, we called on our Rules Guru, Ron Gaines, to give us a little more clarity.

Gaines, Golfweek’s Director of Rules and Competition and the President Emeritus of the Golf Association of Michigan, explained that while a sticker was the issue, it wasn’t technically the violation.

“The reflective sticker causes the club to become non-conforming,” Gaines explained.

To further illustrate the point, here is a statement from Carter Rich, Senior Director of Equipment Rules and Conformance at the USGA. This wasn’t issued specifically on the Sabbatini case, but explains the violation.

“Under the Equipment Rules, such attachments to the face are considered to be external attachments that are not permitted (see Part 2, Section 1a of the Equipment Rules). As a result, they render the club non-conforming when playing a round under the Rules of Golf (see Rule 4.1a of the Rules of Golf). In essence, while certain attachments to the head are permissible provided they meet the criteria provided in the interpretation of Part 2, Section 1a, attachments to the face are not permitted.”

What was the sticker for? For that, we return to DiMeglio’s story:

Some players use reflective dots (stickers) and a launch monitor to track clubhead speed and distance. Sabbatini likely just forgot he had them on the fairway wood.

OK, but how do pros know this is the case?

“In the past when new players came onto the Tour, that was discussed in orientation,” Gaines said via text. “Especially on the LPGA.”

For Sabbatini, the gaffe was a costly one. While he does have a T-3 finish at the Shriners Children’s Open, the South African had missed the cut in the other two Tour events he played in this season.

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Watch: Si Woo Kim’s birdie putt finally dropped at RBC Heritage, but it didn’t count

He watched. And waited. And watched some more. And finally, Si Woo Kim’s birdie putt fell. Yet in the end, he still made par.

He watched. And waited. And watched some more.

And finally, Si Woo Kim’s birdie putt fell. Yet in the end, he still made par.

Kim’s putt from off the green on the third hole during Saturday’s third round of the RBC Heritage came in on a perfect line. And it had what looked like the perfect speed, covering just over 32 feet before it took a quick turn at the end.

But the ball came to rest just on the edge of the cup, and Kim waited for a bit, watching in awe with playing partner Matt Kuchar that it didn’t fall.

It took a minute, but finally, the ball did fall in the hole, drawing an ovation from those following the group. Kim smiled wide, as did Kuchar.

But soon after, a rules official had to come over to give Kim the bad news — the ball had taken too long to drop and he was assessed a penalty stroke.

Kim continued to shine, posting consecutive birdies on the following two holes, but that stroke certainly could have helped his case as he tried to move into the top 10 at Harbour Town. He currently sits 47th in the Official World Golf Ranking and at No. 42 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.

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Fire ants took a bite out of Hideki Matsuyama’s round — what do the rules say he could have done?

As Hideki Matsuyama found out during his final round at the Valero Texas Open, the most painful Texas golf obstacle of all is fire ants.

SAN ANTONIO — There are numerous nuances that make golf in Texas a little different than elsewhere.

Bermuda that can mess with the world’s best. Consistent breezes typically originating in the Gulf of Mexico. Knotty live oaks that reach far and wide through undulating Hill Country fairways.

And as Hideki Matsuyama found out during his final round on Sunday at the Valero Texas Open, the most painful obstacle of all — fire ants.

Matsuyama opened his final round on the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course with a pair of birdies on his first four holes to get back on the leaderboard. He gave one back on the sixth hole but looked in good position on the par-5 No. 8 when his second shot rolled into thick grass just off the green. Matsuyama, who at the time was 3 under for the tournament, chipped from 30 yards away, giving himself a nice look at birdie.

Hideki Matsuyama lines up a putt on the 12th hole during the first round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Soon after, though, Matsuyama sprung from the grass, wiping the bottom of his white pants. He soon realized he’d been standing in a pile of fire ants, a hazard that can leave a lasting impression.

As Sung Kang chipped and Graeme McDowell putted, Matsuyama sat just off the green, trying mightily to wipe the ants away while pulling his shoes and socks off in the process.

After finally gathering himself, Matsuyama burned the edge on a 10-foot birdie putt and was tapped in for par. He followed with bogeys on each of the next two holes.

According to the rules, Matsuyama might have been able to find relief if he desired, but he chose not to.

The rule

While ant hills may pose a variety of challenges for a golfer, there is no provision in the Rules of Golf that specifically states what to do about the problem. But the rules interpretations provided by the U.S. Golf Association do offer some answers for golfers confronting ants, whether in or out of a hazard.

Loose Impediment

USGA Decision 23/5 specifically designates an ant hill as a loose impediment. That’s good news for players outside of penalty areas, who may remove loose impediments without penalty.

Under Rule 23-1, however, a player may neither touch nor remove any loose impediment in the same penalty area as the ball. If he does so, the penalty is loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play.

Ants on the Ball

Insects and insect-like animals, including ants, are also treated as loose impediments, according to Decision 23-1/5.

Within penalty areas, therefore, ants may not be touched or removed from the ball. Pursuant to Decision 23-1/5.5, however, a player may wave a hand or other item near the ball to try to get a crawling animal off of the ball. Whether such an action would cause an ant to leave the ball is questionable.

Abnormal Ground Conditions

When abnormal ground conditions interfere with a player’s ball he is permitted relief without penalty, even when the ball is in a penalty area. Although abnormal conditions may include a “hole, cast or runway … made by a burrowing animal, a reptile or a bird,” ants and ant hills are not included within the definition abnormal ground conditions.

Local Rules

A player’s only hope of relief from ants or an ant hill in a penalty area is via a local rule. Decision 33-8/22 notes that certain ant hills are “conical in shape and hard,” in which case a local rule designating such areas as ground under repair may be appropriate. Ground under repair is a type of abnormal ground condition, allowing for relief without penalty.

The USGA decision also suggests that courses offer a local rule permitting relief from areas near fire ant holes. Because fire ant bites are painful and potentially serious, the ants’ appearance may be treated as a dangerous situation, allowing free relief pursuant to Decision 1-4/10.

However, relief isn’t always granted, and can be determined by a rules official. In Memphis last summer, Bryson DeChambeau notoriously asked for a drop after he said a fire ant hole was impeding his stance.

“It looks like an ant hole, or ant area,” DeChambeau said to PGA Tour tournament referee Ken Tackett at the WGC event.

“I just don’t see Bryson, honestly … I don’t see fire ants,” Tackett said after some discussion.

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Obscure rule surfaces on consecutive holes in WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play semifinals

A quirky match play rule surfaced on consecutive holes at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play when Scottie Scheffler found the water twice.

AUSTIN, Texas — As Matt Kuchar lined up his putt on the 12th hole during Sunday’s semifinal match at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play he did so under an odd scenario, knowing that his opponent was standing well behind him — still lining up a wedge.

The reason was a quirky match play rule that surfaced at Austin Country Club when Scottie Scheffler put his second shot into the water on the par-5 12th hole. Kuchar had already hit his second shot and was sitting on the front of the green.

Under the rules of match play, however, Scheffler’s ball is considered closer to the hole because of where it was resting. That meant Kuchar had to putt while Scheffler stood 77 yards from the pin with a wedge in hand.

Golfweek’s rules expert, Ron Gaines, said this is a scenario that rarely presents itself.

“It’s an oddball, for sure,” Gaines said. “But this is determined by where the ball comes to rest, not where it crosses the margin of the penalty. Think of it as a penalty without water. You might go up and see if you can play it. Technically, Kuchar is farther away, because it’s where the ball is resting, not where they’re going to play it from.”

Scheffler was 2 up at the time, but lost the hole and moved on to the risk/reward par-4 13th.

Incredibly, the exact same scenario played out again as Scheffler’s drive landed just shy of the green in the water hazard.

Kuchar was now 90 yards from the flag and Scheffler stood well behind him, waiting to play from 177 yards.

Kuchar pulled the match all square after the peculiar two-hole stretch.

Nick Faldo said on the Golf Channel broadcast to rules official Steve Rintoul that he was unfamiliar with the rule.

“I’ve got Paul Azinger in the tower, we’ve been match players now for 40 years and didn’t even know this was a match play rule, and considering we’ve been calling the match play all these years, this is the first time I’ve experienced this kind of situation,” Faldo said.

The falls under USGA rule 6.4: Order of Play When Playing Hole.
Under the rules, had Scheffler played his shot first, Kuchar would have had the option to cancel the stroke. In other words, if Scheffler put his ball in tight to the flag, Kuchar could have nullified the shot.

The rule states:

In match play, the order of play is fundamental; if a player plays out of turn, the opponent may cancel that stroke and make the player play again.

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Bad ruling impacts Annika Sorenstam as she fights to make the cut at Gainbridge LPGA

Fighting to make the cut in her first LPGA appearance in years, a peculiar ruling could keep Annika Sorenstam from competing this weekend.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Fighting to make the cut in her first LPGA appearance in over a decade, a peculiar ruling at the Gainbridge LPGA event in Lake Nona, Florida, could keep the 10-time major champ from competing this weekend.

During Thursday’s opening round, Sorenstam’s tee shot sailed left on the par-4 fifth hole and came to rest underneath the gate of a fence surrounding the backyard of a nearby house. Dan Maselli, the LPGA rules official on the scene, said her ball stayed in bounds “by a dimple.”

Annika Sorenstam prepares to take relief from a gate during the Gainbridge LPGA in Lake Nona, Florida. (Photo by Beth Ann Nichols)

Sorenstam had hoped that she could swing open the gate and hit the shot, but Maselli told her that wasn’t an option.

“She elected to rule her ball unplayable,” Maselli explained to reporters soon after the 50-year-old Sorenstam hit her third shot, “so she got two clubs lengths from where the ball was. There’s a stipulation in the rules that if a gate is open, you have the option to close it. But you don’t have the option to open it if it’s closed.”

Sorenstam took relief (and the penalty stroke) and proceeded to make a triple-bogey seven. She finished the first round at 3-over 75, one shot outside of the cut line heading into Friday.

“I was hoping that you could swing up that gate,” Sorenstam said after the round, “but that didn’t work.”

Actually, golf’s modernized rules, which became effective January 1, 2019, included a gate change. According to the USGA’s interpretations of Boundary Object/2, a gate that’s used to get through a boundary wall or fence is not part of the boundary object. It’s now considered an obstruction, which means players are able to get free relief (i.e. move the gate).

Annika Sorenstam takes relief from an unplayable lie during the Gainbridge LPGA in Lake Nona, Florida. (Photo by Beth Ann Nichols)

Sorenstam, a 72-time winner on the LPGA, is 2 under on the day through 16 holes.

Golfweek reached out to the LPGA for a statement and was told that one would be made after the round.

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We’ve all played with someone like Patrick Reed. Are we expecting too much from him?

Like Reed, we all cheat. At least a little.

Almost anyone who’s played a round of golf knows someone like Patrick Reed. Just look in the mirror.

Like Reed, we all cheat. At least a little. We all roll the ball in the fairway, fluff it in the rough or move it an extra foot from the oak tree to improve our chances. Or we think about doing those things, and as Jimmy Carter said, paraphrasing, “If I cheat in my heart it is still cheating.”

Let’s acknowledge our indiscretions before castigating Reed as evil incarnate for breaking the rules, or at least bending them to his advantage during Saturday’s third round of the Farmers Insurance Open near San Diego, where the weather is always perfect but the PGA Tour players are not. And there’s the rub. We expect them to be.

Rob Oller is a columnist for the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.

The best players shoot low scores without cheating

Among the reasons Joe Hacks stand amazed at tour players, one that stands tall without standing out, is that the best players in the world shoot ridiculously low scores without cheating. They play the ball where it lies, no foot-wedging their Titleist out of the weeds.

And no dropping a second ball ahead of where the first one hooked into the woods. Tour players re-tee after hitting out of bounds. If they drive it out of bounds a second time, they don’t say, “That’s enough, I’ll just drop it up there.” No sir. They count every shot. The Tour is more “Tin Cup” than “Caddyshack.” Or it should be.

But Reed inched toward Judge Smails territory last weekend, and deep down that’s what really bothers high-handicappers who expect nearly flawless physical and moral performance from the best players in the world.

To reset: Reed hit his approach shot on the 10th hole at Torrey Pines into the left rough, which was deep and wet. He asked a volunteer spotter if the ball had bounced before settling into the grass. It had, but the volunteer said she didn’t see it bounce.

Hearing “no,” Reed knew there stood a good chance the ball had plugged, which would allow him to improve his lie without penalty. After telling his playing partners, calling for a rules official and feeling around in the rough, Reed picked up his ball and cleaned it, which is allowed under the rules if he determined the ball had plugged.

Did Reed technically cheat?

Opinions differ on whether Reed technically cheated, but the majority of observers agree he acted hastily and perhaps improperly, noting that he should have waited for rules official Brad Fabel to arrive on the scene before lifting the ball. (It should be noted that Fabel, put in the difficult position of ruling on a plugged golf ball that had been unplugged by Reed, concluded the player followed proper procedures.)

It was not the first time Reed has been accused of skirting the rules. In 2019, he was assessed a two-stroke penalty for swiping away sand with his club while preparing to hit from a waste bunker during the Hero World Challenge. Reed claimed the TV camera angle made his actions look worse than they were.

Asked about it then, fellow tour player Brooks Koepka did not hesitate.

“I don’t know what he was doing, building sandcastles in the sand, but you know where your club is,” Koepka said.

At Torrey, at least two players questioned Reed’s motives.

PGA: Farmers Insurance Open - Final Round
Patrick Reed poses with the winner’s trophy following the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

“Golf’s a game of sportsmanship, and it’s tough to put us in the spot to call him out because we weren’t there,” Lanto Griffin said. “But at the end of the day, I think 99% of the golfers out here, if it’s in question one way or the other, they’re going to go the other way, not taking a drop.”

Xander Schauffele said player discussions leaned toward being skeptical of how Reed handled the situation.

“The talk amongst the boys isn’t great, I guess,” Schauffele said. “But he’s protected by the Tour and that’s all that matters, I guess.”

Between pro and pathetic

The PGA Tour may protect Reed, as it does for most marquee players, but the golfing public has no such mandate. It may be fine for the duffer to scribble a 6 on the scorecard when it was a 7, but how dare tour players lower themselves.

Hypocritical? Of course, but golf is different from most other sports in establishing a clear line of protocol between pro and pathetic.

Jack Nicklaus played the game not only at a higher level than 99.9% of the world, but the Golden Bear did so with high integrity regarding the rules. Most Tour players do the same. Imagine if NBA players called traveling on themselves or a cornerback told the official to throw a flag because he was guilty of pass interference.

What sets Tour players apart, and why Reed comes off so badly, especially after winning last weekend, is they are supposed to police themselves better than the rest of us Keystone Kops.

Rob Oller is a columnist who covers golf for the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network. Email him at roller@dispatch.com and follow him on Twitter @rollerCD.

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