Many things inevitably crop up every year on the various tours from a Rules perspective. Here, we have put together a little round-up of some of the noteworthy incidents and scenarios that caught our eye in 2023, from straightforward rulings involving big-name players in high-profile events to clever usage of the Rules to limit damage and even the odd minor controversy…
Jordan Spieth & Justin Thomas – embedded or not?
Justin Thomas attempted to play from this lie unsuccessfully after embedded ball relief was not granted in the Ryder Cup
(Image credit: Getty Images)
During the Saturday morning foursomes in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, Jordan Spieth pulled his tee-shot on the 6th into an area of thick rough. After a lengthy search, the ball was found and identified, and a walking referee was called in straightaway to decide whether or not it was an embedded ball situation.
There was some dirt on the ball, which convinced Spieth and his partner, Justin Thomas, that it may have been, but the referee decided it was not and there would be no free relief. The pair sought a second opinion, but the ruling remained the same – no free relief. Eventually, Thomas took a mighty swipe, barely moving the ball, which popped up and hit his foot causing great excitement among the TV commentators about a potential penalty. But they had forgotten (or didn’t know) that there is no longer a penalty for your ball hitting you accidentally. The Americans, not surprisingly, went on to lose the hole.
Max Homa – a very wise drop
Max Homa’s decision to take a penalty drop on 18 in his Ryder Cup singles proved a sensible one
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In his final-day singles against Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa showed great presence of mind on the final hole at a time when America’s hopes of a last-day comeback were still just about alive. 1-up coming down the par-5 18th, Homa drew a terrible lie short right of a big greenside bunker on the right following his second shot, with Fitzpatrick close by but in a better lie.
Spurning any temptation to have a go at it given America’s must-win situation, Homa decided to take an unplayable ball penalty drop back on line into a much better lie, then proceeded to pitch to 8ft and hole the par putt to beat Fitzpatrick 1-up and keep faint American hopes alive. It was a great example of taking your medicine as anything could have happened from the original lie.
Phachara Khongwatmai – a bit too much ‘gardening’
The Asian Tour later admitted…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly…