[Fun Golf Rules] "What If the Ball Disappears Into the Tree?"

During the 2nd round of the Schworzel PGA Championship, a penalty stroke was given for ball confirmation at the 9th hole; a 'lost ball' results in a 1-stroke penalty followed by play from the previous shot location.

Chal Schwartzel experienced an incident during the 2nd round of the PGA Championship where his ball disappeared into the trees on the 9th hole.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "Check the ball first."

Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) had a frustrating experience on the 9th hole (par 4) during the second round of the 2020 PGA Tour season's first major, the PGA Championship (total prize money $11 million), held on the 8th at Harding Park TPC in San Francisco, California, USA. His second shot curved to the right and disappeared into the trees. This was the stage where Collin Morikawa (USA) dramatically became the major champion by shooting 6 under par on the final day.

Using binoculars, they searched for the ball and fortunately found it stuck in a tree. Schwartzel received a one-stroke penalty but managed to get 'on the green' with his fourth shot and finished with a one-putt to save par, which is interesting. With 5 birdies and 3 bogeys, he reduced his score by 2 strokes, advanced to the third round, and finished tied for 58th place. The key issue here is whether it was a 'Lost Ball.' If the owner is unclear, after a one-stroke penalty, the player must return to the spot of the previous shot.

According to the new golf rules revised last year, if an additional two-stroke penalty is added, the player can drop the ball at that spot. Schwartzel found the ball and only received a one-stroke penalty. Sometimes players even climb trees to take a shot. Sergio Garcia (Spain) executed a 'tree shot' on the 10th hole (par 4) of the final round of the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Unable to get into position, he grabbed the tree with his left hand and hit the ball with his right hand. The ball rolled toward the fairway but eventually resulted in a double bogey.

Anirban Lahiri (India) suffered a 'palm tree nightmare.' On the last day of the 2016 CIMB Classic held at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club in Malaysia, he was leading by 4 strokes on the 3rd hole (par 5). His tee shot flew toward a palm tree and could not be found. After the complicated process of re-teeing, he ended up scoring a quadruple bogey 9, a devastating blow. Ultimately, his dream of winning his first PGA Tour title was shattered.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.