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Rules of the Game
Know your impediments
By Troy Andrew, PNGA Senior Director of Rules & Competition
RULE 23: LOOSE IMPEDIMENTS
Definition of Loose Impediments - Loose Impediments are natural objects
including: stones, leaves, twigs, branches and the like, dung, and worms
and insects and casts or heaps made by them, provided they are not: fixed
or growing, solidly embedded, or adhering to the ball. Sand and loose soil
are loose impediments on the putting green, but not elsewhere. Snow and
natural ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments,
at the option of the player. Dew and frost are not loose impediments.
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| © Charles Crombie/courtesy USGA Archives |
When it comes to Loose Impediments, Rule 23, avid PGA Tour television viewers can remember one of the most extraordinary rulings regarding loose impediments.
During the final round of the 1999 Phoenix Open, Tiger Woods hit his tee shot left and ended up behind a large boulder. He called for a PGA Tour Rules Official to ask whether the boulder was a loose impediment. The official concluded that the boulder was a loose impediment and granted relief.
Sure enough, several spectators from the gallery ended up moving the boulder out of the way for his next shot. Thanks to his large fan base, Woods reached the par-5 in two and made a birdie.
Afterward, critics called the PGA Tour and USGA offices to protest the ruling, claiming that the boulder was embedded and it wasn't fair Woods was able to have it moved by the gallery.
Agree or disagree, the Rules of Golf are clear that he was entitled to have the boulder moved. In the Decisions on Rules of Golf, Decision 23-1/3 answers the question of whether a player may have assistance in removing large loose impediments.
The only determination the PGA Tour Rules Official had to make was whether the boulder was "solidly embedded." In this case, the PGA Tour Rules Official did not believe it was solidly embedded. Therefore, Woods was rewarded for knowing the Rules of Golf.
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