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MIND / RULES REVIEW
W ATCH PRO GOLF long enough and you’ll be amazed at some of the breaks players seem to get thanks to the construc- tion of grandstands, hospitality tents, TV towers and more. In fact, it’s not all that unusual for tour pros to take tem- porary immovable obstructions (TIOs) into consideration when playing shots. One example came from Jordan Spi- eth in the Texas Open last year. Trying to escape a dicey lie in a penalty area That Thing is in My Way Do I get relief from an electrical box? The pros do, right? BY RON KASPRISKE
on the 18th hole at TPC San Antonio during the third round, Spieth pur- posely hit his third shot into the gut- ter of the clubhouse left of the green, knowing that the building was not out of bounds. He got the relief drop, which then put his ball behind a score- board on his line to the hole. That al- lowed him to take free relief, because a scoreboard is considered a TIO on the PGA Tour. That scoreboard relief gave him a clean shot into the green, and he knocked it on. As it turns out, he made a double bogey, but those crafty moves nearly helped him save par. If you were watching or just read about it, you might be wondering why pros get free relief for stuff like that but you can’t move your ball without pen- alty when there’s an irrigation-control box (above) or some other permanent structure between it and the hole. Rule 16 covers abnormal course conditions including immovable obstructions (not temporary ). Examples of obstruc- tions include cement cart paths, ball
washers and even the halfway house at the turn. As long as your ball is any- where on the course except for a pen- alty area, the rule states that you are allowed one club-length of free relief from the obstruction. When you drop, your ball can’t be closer to the hole and it must be in the general area of the course. But there’s the catch: This relief applies only if the immovable obstruction interferes with your ball, stance or swing. Notice the rule didn’t mention line of play? That type of relief is available only when a temporary immovable obstruction is on the intended line and Model Local Rule F-23 has been enacted. The logic is that these objects the pros have to deal with wouldn’t be there for any other reason but the tour- nament, so it’s unfair to make players navigate them. The takeaway might be that while it can seem like pros are getting out- rageous relief without penalties, they are just taking advantage of the rules.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF TORO
16 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2025
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