Written by: Darin Green, Senior Director of Rules & Competitions
During the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Charley Hoffman had to add two penalty strokes, rather than one, while taking relief from a red penalty area. Today we will discuss why Hoffman had to two take two penalty strokes to get out of the water.
On the par-5 13th hole, Hoffman’s drive bounced into the lake that is just right of the fairway. The ball last crossed the margin of the red penalty area on a slope of closely mown grass. In taking relief, he measured two club-lengths from where the ball last crossed the red line, also ensuring he was not measuring closer to the hole. He properly dropped a ball in the relief area, but the ball rolled into the penalty area requiring a re-drop. He dropped a second time and the ball rolled into the penalty area again. He properly placed the ball where the ball struck first struck the ground on the second drop. The ball was at rest. Then, while Hoffman was preparing for his next stroke, the ball began to move and rolled down the slope and into the water. Hoffman was shocked when a Rules Official told him that he would either need to play the ball from the penalty area or take another one-stroke penalty to drop outside the penalty area.
The Rules of Golf make it clear that when Hoffman placed the ball on the ground, and the ball was at rest, the ball was in play and he satisfied the rule of taking relief from a red penalty area. Since the ball was at rest and then subsequently moved by natural forces (wind, water, or the effects of gravity) we must play the ball from its new location. Hoffman decided to take relief from the penalty area a second time using the new reference point where the ball last crossed the red line.
A very similar situation occurred to Rickie Fowler at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Despite the extra penalty stroke, Rickie went on to win the tournament.
After the round, Hoffman went on social media and voiced his unhappiness with the ruling and the location of the painted red line. He was under the impression that the USGA and R&A changed that rule some time ago.
I will refrain from giving my personal opinion on this Rule; however, I can assure you the Tour got the ruling correct. Maybe someday this Rule will be changed.
