Written by: Darin Green, Senior Director of Rules & Competitions
As I’ve written about before, golf is a unique sport where it is the player’s responsibility to call penalties on themselves. It is the player’s responsibility to know the rules, and to be honest in applying their own penalties. There is no other major sport like it; just watch football this weekend and you’ll see players get away with breaking a lot of rules.
Rule 1 describes the game of golf, the principles of the game, and spirit of the game. Rule 1.2b specifically covers the standards of player conduct and that players must apply their own penalties.
A couple weeks ago at the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship, Sahith Theegala applied a two-stroke penalty to himself in the third round that no one else witnessed, including the cameras. On the third hole, his ball was in a fairway bunker with what he described as an “unusual lie.” The ball was resting on, and in front of, the spot where the ball landed in the bunker (sort of a ball mark in the sand). He was hovering his club behind the ball for the stroke and then made his backswing and completed the stroke. After the stroke, he told the other competitor in his group that he thinks his club might have come in contact with a little bit of sand behind the ball as he made his backswing. He wasn’t certain he touched sand, but he thought there was a good chance he did. He then informed a Rules Official and asked them to review it.
Later, the Rules Committee informed him that there was no strong video evidence he touched the sand. Even though Theegala wasn’t 100% certain he touched the sand, he still applied a two-stroke penalty to himself. Ultimately, he finished the tournament in third place and two shots behind second place. Without the penalty, he would’ve finished tied for second and earned an additional $2.5 million in prize money. A very costly penalty indeed.
Rule 12.2b explains the restrictions on touching sand in a bunker, and when the player is allowed to touch the sand in the bunker. Unfortunately for Theegala, accidentally touching sand with his club in the area near his ball, or during the backswing, is not one of the times you are allowed to touch the sand.
Theegala was praised by many for calling the penalty on himself and that reminded me of an old quote by the legend Bobby Jones. Jones was once praised for a calling a penalty on himself and he said, “you may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.”
