rulespin
Paul Kruger is a PGA professional at
The Landings Club in Savannah, Georgia.
by Paul Kruger
official request
Webb Simpson coasted to victory
at the 2018 Players Championship
at TPC Sawgrass. Not only did
he match the course record 63
with his second round, but he also
set the 36-hole (15-under) and 54-
hole (19-under) scoring records for
the event. Standing on the 18th
tee during his fi nal round, Webb
had a comfortable lead of six
strokes. However, he almost made
it interesting by carding a double-
bogey on the fi nal hole after putting
his second shot into the lateral water
hazard to the left of the 18th green.
From a Rules perspective, Webb
did make it interesting by wisely
requesting the assistance of PGA
Tour Rules Offi cial Stephen Cox to
help him understand some ancillary
issues associated with his decision to
drop a ball within two club-lengths
of the margin of the lateral water
hazard per Rule 26-1c [Relief for Ball
in Water Hazard], especially since
the adjacent bunker was within two
club-lengths of the hazard margin.
In a question and answer format,
here are a few of the issues that were
relevant to Simpson’s situation:
a) Would it have been permissible
for Webb to drop a ball in the bunker
when taking relief from the lateral
water hazard?
Yes, so long as he was dropping
a ball within two club-lengths of,
and not nearer the hole than, the
point where his original ball last
crossed the margin of the lateral
water hazard. See Decision 26-1/2
[Player Proceeding Under Water
Hazard Rule Drops Ball in Another
Hazard].
b) Having dropped a ball on the
strip of grass between the lateral
water hazard and the bunker, what
would be the ruling if the dropped
ball rolled into and came to rest in
the bunker?
Webb would have been required
to re-drop the ball per Rule 20-2c(i)
[When to Re-Drop] which states, “A
dropped ball must be re-dropped,
without penalty, if it … rolls into and
comes to rest in a hazard;…” Note
that Webb would not be allowed to
change relief options, i.e., he would
be required to re-drop within two
club-lengths of where his original
ball last crossed the margin of the
water hazard. See Decision 20-2c/5
[Changing Relief Options When
Re-Dropping Required].
Also,
according to Rule 20-2c, if the ball
was re-dropped on the grass, and it
subsequently rolled into either the
bunker or the lateral water hazard,
then Webb would have been required
to place the ball as near as possible
to the spot where the ball fi rst struck
the course when re-dropped.
c) If Simpson had successfully
dropped a ball on the grass and
the ball rolled toward the bunker
without reaching the bunker, what
would have been the ruling if Webb
had to stand in the bunker in order
to play his next stroke?
Absent any interference by
an immovable obstruction or an
abnormal ground condition, Webb
would have been required to play
the ball as it lay, or else deem his ball
unplayable incurring an additional
penalty stroke. See Decision 13-4/1
[Touching Sand in Bunker When
Ball Lies Outside Bunker]. Also
note that Webb would not have been
allowed to build a stance within
the bunker per Rule 13-3 [Building
Stance].
d) Could Simpson’s caddie stop
a ball dropped on the strip of grass
if the ball was heading toward the
water hazard in order to keep from
losing the ball in the water hazard?
Per
Decision
20-2c/4
[Caddie Stops Dropped Ball
Before It Comes to Rest; When
Penalty Occurred], there would
have been no penalty if Webb’s
caddie stopped the ball after it
had entered the hazard and was
about to roll over the edge of the
bulkhead, i.e., at a position from
which Webb would have been
required to re-drop it under Rule
20-2c. However, if Webb’s caddie
had acted prematurely and stopped
the dropped ball when it was still on
the grass and not yet in the hazard,
then Simpson would have incurred
a penalty of two strokes in stroke
play under Rule 1-2 [Exerting
Infl uence on Movement of Ball or
Altering Physical Conditions].
7