[HungryBear]

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Did Dustin Johnson accidentally violate 14-2 as well as 13-4?
August 15, 2010
by John
.[UPDATE] I got word from an official at the PGA that Johnson asked for the area to be all shade which is different than asking that just the lie of the ball be shaded.

[FINAL UPDATE] In reflecting on this, I can see why Johnson should not be penalized for having the crowd move around to block the sunlight. Since he was in the middle of the crowd and there was continual movement, he should be able to get everyone to stand still. With the one shaft of light there, he was constantly going to be disturbed by any movement. It was either that or get the crowd to back up to the point where there were no shadows which was impractical. Therefore, just getting the entire area shaded was the best way to resolve the issue.

With a one-shot lead on the 18th hole, today, Dustin Johnson hit his tee shot way right into the crowd. After the crowd was cleared he was left with a shot over the hazard to the green. The spectators were standing around the ball and there was a sliver of sunshine on his ball. Johnson said something about it. Someone asked if he wanted the sunshine blocked and it sounded like he said “Yes, block it.”

There is a new decision in 2010, 14-2/2.5, which states that in part:

While a player may not place an object or position a person for the purpose of blocking the sunlight from his ball, he may ask a person (e.g., a spectator) who is already in position not to move, so that a shadow remains over the ball, or to move, so that his shadow is not over the ball.

When he finished the round, he was spoken to by the officials.

I don’t know if that is what is going on or if they say he grounded his club in the bunker? He definitely grounded his club in the sand area there. I don’t know which violation they are calling, but he is out of the playoff.

UPDATE: Mark Wilson from the PGA has just explained that all areas designed as bunkers were bunkers even if outside the ropes and that he therefore grounded his club in the bunker and is penalized two strokes under Rule 13-4.

I’ve written before about how removing bunkers from the rules. Yet another reason do so.

Dustin handled the interview with class just now. He mentioned that he should have read the local rule more closely, but could also have called the rules official that was walking with the group before playing.


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