Pre-US Open 2021 | THE GRQ PODCAST EP41

GRQotW40 ANSWER
Fraser walks into the bunker that his ball is at rest in, and tests the depth of the sand with his feet by digging in when taking his reasonable stance. Does Fraser incur any penalties?  

US Open Rules incidents, here are two of the biggest (to talk about):
Dustin Johnson - ball moved on the green
Phil Mickelson - made a stroke at his ball that was in motion after a stroke on the putting green.  

Tainted Drop Tain Lee playing in just his third PGA Tour event at the age of 31, what seems to be over-the-hill on the PGA Tour, hits it into a penalty area and then takes a lateral relief drop. When dropping the ball many believe that Tain deliberately threw the ball down so that it struck the relief area with force and then bounced into the penalty area. The Palmetto Championship Tournament Committee discussed it with Tain and didn’t see it as a violation. https://youtu.be/K_veLyiv4YA
How to get the ball back into play when taking free or penalty relief - dropping. Basically, how to drop the ball.
The player must let go of the ball from a location at knee height so that the ball:
Falls straight down, without the player throwing, spinning or rolling it or using any other motion that might affect where the ball will come to rest, and
Does not touch any part of the player’s body or equipment before it hits the ground. The ball is in play as soon as you let go of it, but whether you can play it from where it comes to rest will depend on what happened to it on the way down, and where it is at rest.

Referee Antswers SungJae’s Question Sungjae Im had some issues with ants around his ball at the Palmetta Championship. A referee was called in, who provided no free relief to the player, letting him know that their bite was not harmful. SungJae played his ball as it lay. https://youtu.be/wYcaFS09xQU   

Fight After Player Doesn’t Help Another Play Search for Their Ball In a Monday qualifier on the Korn Ferry Tour (for the Wichita Open), two players got into a scuffle mid-way through their round. The group was behind on pace of play and it is not exactly known who was the main cause of the delay, but one of players had a ball search, that two of them went to look for, the third player and his caddie (dad) didn’t bother to help. This was brought to the third player’s attention by player 1, whose retort was play better. Player 3 then went and struck player 1, and charges were laid. Player 2 was a bit shaken up, able to go back out on the course and continue his round, but was also given a refund, he managed a 79.  

Commentator Ivor  

Background Bingo
Rossco - Lonsdale Links
Blakey - The Olympic Club, where the 2021 US Women’s Open was held.  

GRQotW41 True or False:  If it is not physically possible to drop the ball in any part of the identified relief area, the player is not allowed relief from the condition.