Rule 13.4 - Ball in Hazard - A Reed or Twig?

The Curmudgeon, Chad Feldheimer and I had a spirited discussion today about the penalty that Brian Davis called on himself on the first playoff hole of the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, this weekend. Davis, who has never won on the PGA Tour dramatically sinks a birdie putt on the 18th hole to tie Jim Furyk and force a playoff. Furyk and Davis then start the playoff at the same hole and Davis hits his second shot onto the edge of the green and the golf ball rolls off into the hazard next to the green. The hazard has a sandy base next to a pile of grass, twigs and reeds. From there you can see the video. Davis did not ground his club in the hazard, but on his backswing he barely clips a reed or twig that is lying on the ground. Davis calls Slugger White, the Rules official, over to discuss the potential infraction and after due consideration and a review of the videotape, Slugger (nice name) agrees with Davis and Davis is penalized two strokes for moving a loose impediment in the hazard in violation of Rule 13.4 of the Rules of Golf.

Rule 13.4 of the Rules of Golf in plain English provides that when you are in a hazard before making a stroke at the golf ball you must not touch a loose impediment in the hazard. One of the exceptions to this Rule is that you can touch any grass, bush, tree or other growing thing at any time, including at address or in the backswing. A loose impediment is defined to include stones, leaves, twigs and branches (as well as dung and worms and insects and casts or heaps made by them for future information). Anything that is fixed, growing or solidly embedded is not a loose impediment.

If Davis touched a reed, there is probably no penalty because a reed is a type of grass in which case it falls within the exception to Rule 13.4. But if Davis touched a twig there is probably a 2-stroke penalty unless you can argue that the twig is a "growing thing". Although I am not a botanist I have seen those nature shows where you hear the branch scream as it is being cut from the tree and I would bet that a twig continues to grow for some time after it is cut (like hair or fingernails on a corpse!). Alterntively, if you want to create new law in the world of golf, you could argue that Davis touched the twig on his backswing while making a stroke at the ball, which takes this out of the Rule completely (but the definition of "stroke" is the forward movement of the club only). This argument would require overturning clear precedent by Slugger, which would probably cause him to be excommunicated from the USGA. And finally, I think that the intent of the original drafters of the Rules of Golf at the Royal & Ancient Golf Club was that the player should not be able to improve his lie, stance or swing or test the condition of the hazard by grounding his club, touching the ground with his hand or clearing away any loose impediments before intending to strike the golf ball. If you are a strict constructionist (and want to suck up to the USGA and R&A) you impose the 2-stroke penalty like Slugger, but if you have any heart and are a judicial activist you snub the USGA and R&A and give Davis a fighting chance to scramble and make par and possibly win his first PGA Tournament.

I am sure that all of my "World Of" golf buddies that religiously read my blog will chime in with their analysis of this case.

Editor's Note: Unless the hazard was a water hazard, since the twigs interfered with Davis' backswing, he could have elected to take relief under Rule 25-1b(ii) of the Rules of Golf without a penalty.