Rules and Rants

Since then, there’s been a lot of discussion and comments back and forth about the ruling. Johnson’s two stroke penalty was assessed under Rule 13-4 of the Rules of Golf regarding a ball in a hazard which reads:

13-4. Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions

Except as provided in the Rules, before making a stroke at a ball that is in a hazard (whether a bunker or a water hazard) or that, having been lifted from a hazard, may be dropped or placed in the hazard, the player must not:

a. Test the condition of the hazard or any similar hazard;
b. Touch the ground in the hazard or water in the water hazard with his hand or a club; or
c. Touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard.

To see a competitor miss out on a chance at victory is unfortunate to say the least, but in this case, the right call was made – Johnson did in fact ground his club in that bunker on 18 to incur a two-stroke penalty.

A bunker is a prepared area where turf has been removed and filled with sand or the like. Interesting that the announcers during the broadcast kept referring to a “lip”¿and the fact that somehow that mattered. Nowhere in the definition of a bunker does it say you need a lip to define a bunker.

While the multitude of bunkers and other sandy areas on the property add to the charm of Whistling Straits, from a rules perspective, these areas require careful consideration with respect to the competition. To that point, there was a notice issued by the Rules Committee to all competitors outlining that there were areas on the course both inside and outside the ropes such as the one where Johnston hit his ball on 18 that were considered bunkers.

Let’s be clear – the onus is on the player and/or his caddie to know and understand the rules of golf. This extends to the types of player notices and/or local rules for a respective championship that are communicated to the competitors. That may sound harsh in some cases but it’s also important to remember that any amateur or professional golf championship has rules officials on course that are there to assist with rulings and help to provide clarity to the players.

One of the stories that really covered and clarified the situation well can be found here, especially in capturing Johnson’s comments afterwards about not realizing he was in a bunker.

Another curious thing that happened (and interestingly enough has yet to be discussed) is the fact that as he prepared to hit his shot from the bunker on 18, someone instructed the gallery to block the sun (ensuring his ball remained in the shade). Although to-date the PGA of America has not issued comment on that incident – Decision 14-2/2.5 permits a player to instruct a spectator already in position not to move so that a shadow remains over his ball, or that the ball remains in the sunlight – but it appeared the ball was partly in sunlight and it could be heard someone (perhaps not Johnson?) instructed the spectator to move back (into another position) to block the sun.

Certainly an interesting case of the Rules of Golf coming into play at a crucial time during a championship.

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Brent Mclaughlin is the Director of RCGA Rules, Amateur Status & Competitions