Ball taken by spectator
Bryson Dechambeau isn’t afraid to see the game from a different perspective or test out how some holes can be played differently. His vision to deviate from the traditional route on the long par-5 18th at East Lake during round three of the Tour Championship resulted in an interesting Rules scenario when a spectator pocketed his ball, as Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A, explains.
Dechambeau purposely aimed away from the 18th fairway and instead opted to hit his drive down the far side of the adjacent 10th hole in an attempt to create a better angle into the green. His drive ended up on the far side of the 10th fairway close to the 11th tee. However, when he arrived in this area, his ball was nowhere to be seen.
After an unsuccessful ball search, he was spared the walk back to the tee (as well as the penalty under stroke and distance) when a Rules official told him that his ball had actually been picked up by a spectator. This information came to light when a tour official reviewed the TV footage, which showed where his drive had ended up and that a fan had picked it up and walked away with it.
Under Rule 9.6, if it is known or virtually certain that an outside influence (including a spectator) has lifted or moved a player’s ball, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated). Crucially, this applies whether or not the player’s ball has been found, and with the TV evidence from the officials providing concrete evidence, the standard of having knowledge or virtual certainty of what had happened to the ball had clearly been met.
Under Rule 14.2a, usually the original ball must be used when replacing a ball. However, another ball may be used when the original cannot be recovered with reasonable effort and in a few seconds, as long as the player did not deliberately cause the ball to become unrecoverable. In this case, as the spectator had left the scene, Dechambeau could substitute another ball.
With assistance from the officials to get as accurate a position as possible, he was able to estimate where his original ball had come to rest and replace his substituted ball on that spot without penalty. Eventually, he went on to close out his round with an unlikely birdie.