Scottie Scheffler Secures Free Drop at The Open Despite Lost Ball

Scottie Scheffler secured a free drop on the 17th hole at The Open, despite losing his ball in a Temporary Immovable Object (TIO). The World No.1 found himself in the rough off the tee and pulled his second shot into a hospitality unit.

What happened?

Scheffler's ball flew into the hospitality unit on the left of the 17th, which is considered a 'TIO' - a Temporary Immovable Object. These are very common in professional golf and include things like grandstands and other pop-up structures. If a TIO impedes a golfer's shot, they are allowed a free drop within two club lengths of the object.

Why it matters for Scottie Scheffler

The incident took some ten minutes and following his drop, Scheffler wedged it to around 10ft on the par 5 and holed the putt for a remarkable birdie. The ruling caused controversy and confusion on social media, with many fans questioning whether it was fair or not. PGA Tour pro Michael Kim admitted he was "dumbfounded" by it.

What comes next?

Scheffler's free drop allowed him to get up-and-down for an unlikely birdie, which got him to eight-under for the tournament and within one of clubhouse leader Cameron Young. He bogeyed the 18th to eventually finish two back of Young's total.

The Rules of Golf state that if a player's ball has not been found but is known or virtually certain to have come to rest in a TIO, they may take relief under this Local Rule by using the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the TIO on the course as the spot of the ball for purposes of finding the nearest point of complete relief.

Scheffler's ball was not found in the hospitality unit, but thanks to the Rules of Golf, he was able to take a free drop before getting it up-and-down for an unlikely birdie. This is a standard procedure in professional golf, but the interesting point relating to Scheffler's was the fact that his ball was never found.

Usually a lost ball would result in a stroke-and-distance penalty, meaning he would have had to go back to where he played his original ball from with a one-stroke penalty. Yet Rule 17.1d saved him, as it was considered to be 'known or virtually certain' that his ball had gone into the TIO.

The incident took some ten minutes and following his drop, Scheffler wedged it to around 10ft on the par 5 and holed the putt for a remarkable birdie.

The ruling caused controversy and confusion on social media, with many fans questioning whether it was fair or not. PGA Tour pro Michael Kim admitted he was "dumbfounded" by it.

Scheffler's free drop allowed him to get up-and-down for an unlikely birdie, which got him to eight-under for the tournament and within one of clubhouse leader Cameron Young. He bogeyed the 18th to eventually finish two back of Young's total.

The Rules of Golf state that if a player's ball has not been found but is known or virtually certain to have come to rest in a TIO, they may take relief under this Local Rule by using the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the TIO on the course as the spot of the ball for purposes of finding the nearest point of complete relief.

Scheffler's ball was not found in the hospitality unit, but thanks to the Rules of Golf, he was able to take a free drop before getting it up-and-down for an unlikely birdie.

category: match_report