Scottie Scheffler penalised after ball gets stuck in tree at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Scottie Scheffler was left frustrated during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational after his tee shot on the par-3 14th became stuck high in a pine tree, ultimately leading to a costly double bogey.
Playing at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, the World No.1 tugged his tee shot left of the green and into a bunker-side pine. Although players and spectators were convinced the ball belonged to Scheffler, it was lodged too high in the branches to be properly identified. Under the Rules of Golf, a player must be able to identify their ball. Without confirmation, it is deemed lost.
Scheffler and his caddie, Ted Scott, spent a couple of minutes trying to confirm the ball’s markings. Scott even used a photographer’s camera to zoom in on the ball, but neither those on the ground nor television cameras could clearly identify Scheffler’s Titleist Pro V1 (see below).
Scheffler was unable to identify his ball
After the three-minute search period expired, Scheffler was forced to return to the tee under penalty. He was taken back in a cart and played his third shot, finding the green around 40 feet from the hole before two-putting for a double-bogey five.
If the ball had been identified, Scheffler could have declared it unplayable under Rule 19.2 for a one-stroke penalty. However, without identification, the ball was officially lost.
The incident was summed up rather perfectly on X / Twitter by one golf fan, who wrote: “Dumbest rule ever. Obviously the ball is in the tree otherwise the gallery would have circled the ball in the rough. Rule will be changed after this year.
Scheffler had a week to forget at Bay Hill
The incident summed up a frustrating week for Scheffler, who did not break 70 all four days.
While Scheffler bounced back with a birdie on the 15th, he missed a two-foot putt for par on the par-5 16th, which played the easiest hole on the course all week.
To his credit, he made a tramliner for birdie on the par-3 17th to move into the red for the final round, but then found the water down the par-4 18th for another double bogey to sign off with a 73 and 2-under par total just inside the top 30.
The four-time major champion finds himself at 4-under par and just outside the top 20 as he heads down the 18th.
Scheffler was once again paired with fellow American and United States Ryder Cup teammate Harris English on Sunday.
The group also sparked discussion among fans after English’s caddie, Eric Larson, appeared to glance at Scheffler’s club selection on the 14th hole. However, the Rules of Golf allow players and caddies to observe another player’s club choice visually. A penalty would only apply if someone asked or was told which club had been used.
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