Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2017 - 10

RULES PRIMER
Playing the Unplayable
Jordan Spieth's Rules knowledge helped propel him to an Open title.
* BY JOSEPH OBERLE *
R
ulings in a Major tournament
are often, well,
major. Another big ruling
happened during the 2017
Open Championship, when Jordan
Spieth used Rule 28-Ball
Unplayable to extricate himself
from a tough situation and went
on to win the tournament.
Tied with Matt Kuchar on hole
No. 13, Spieth drove his ball way
right into some heavy rough.
He declared the ball unplayable,
which cost him a stroke but ultimately
provided him a very " playable "
lie. The spot he strategically
chose to drop was among parked
loading trucks, which qualified as
temporary immovable obstructions,
or TIOs, and offered relief
(Rule 24-2).
Spieth dropped his ball on the
perfect lie of the practice range
(which he first confirmed was in
bounds), then hit up toward the
green for an epic, round-saving
bogey. The long delay actually
reset Spieth's round (which appeared
to be heading off the rails).
He closed in 5-under par over the
final four holes to capture his
third major. Spieth demonstrated
extensive Rules knowledge and
made all the right moves-and
the unplayable lie was arguably
his best.
Rule 28 also states a very important
provision for all golfers
to remember: " The player may
deem his ball unplayable at any
place on the course, except when
Jordan Spieth chose
to drop his ball behind
the point where his
ball lay unplayable,
which led him among
the trucks (TIO),
thus enabling him to
hit the ball from the
practice area.
Trucks
(TIO)
PRACTICE
AREA
NO. 13
FAIRWAY
Heavy
Rough
Jordan Spieth's Hole 13
at the British Open
Rule 28-Ball Unplayable offers three relief options:
1 Stroke and distance-replay the shot from its original location. (Spieth didn't want
to return to the tee.)
2 Drop a ball within two club-lengths of where the ball lies, but not nearer the
hole. (For Spieth, there was no preferable relief among the gorse and heather.)
3 Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lies, keeping that point directly between
the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind
that point the ball may be dropped. (Spieth chose this option, which led him down a
steep embankment, out of the rough and in amongst the trucks.)
the ball is in a water hazard. The player is
the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable. "
This
meant that no one could compel
Spieth to get a club on his golf ball. Spieth
deemed it unplayable, and combined
it with the TIO Rule (Appendix I, Part A,
4b-Temporary Immovable Obstructions)
to find himself a much better situation.
As a result, no Rules need changing-
unless we want to consider a name change.
Unplayable? Indeed, Spieth " played the unplayable "
to his full advantage.
10
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2017
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