Thursday, November 1, 2007

Rules Changes

The USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club issued a number of amendments to the Rules of Golf. Under the changes, players will be allowed to lift a ball in a bunker or a water hazard for identification purposes. However, playing the wrong ball from a hazard or bunker will result in a two-stroke penalty. The rules bodies also reduced the penalty for the accidental deflection of a ball by a player, his partner or either of their caddies or equipment to one stroke in both stroke play and match play. The previous penalty was two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in match play. In the 2003 Masters, Jeff Maggert was leading the tournament when his shot from a fairway bunker on the third hole hit the lip and struck him in the chest. Maggert was assessed two strokes and make a triple bogey on the hole, losing the lead which he never regained. Visit the USGA web site at http://www.usga.org/ for more information.

Hitting range balls while wondering whatever happened to Dan Sikes.