The weird reason Shane Lowry didn’t get relief from this plugged lie at the PGA Championship

Shane Lowry didn't get relief from this plugged lie at the PGA Championship.

Shane Lowry was left frustrated during round two of the PGA Championship after finding his ball plugged in the fairway – only to be denied relief. Here’s why the rules didn’t work in his favor.

There’s been no shortage of complaints about the soft conditions at Quail Hollow during the PGA Championship, especially with the PGA’s decision not to implement preferred lies.

Shane Lowry found himself at the center of this controversy on the 8th hole during the second round.

The Irishman striped his drive down the fairway, leaving just 57 yards to the pin. Having made birdie on the 7th and followed it up with a perfect tee shot, he strolled down the fairway smiling – only for that smile to vanish when he saw where his ball had ended up: almost half-buried in the turf.

After consulting a rules official, Lowry was informed he wouldn’t be granted relief. His ball was embedded, yes – but not in its own pitch mark. As a result, he was forced to play it as it lay. Unsurprisingly, he chunked the shot and walked away with a bogey.

The situation left many fans scratching their heads. After all, under the Rules of Golf, players are entitled to free relief if their ball is embedded in the general area (which includes the fairway and rough). So why wasn’t Lowry?

Here’s the key: Rule 16.3 provides relief only when the ball is embedded “in its own pitch-mark made as a result of your previous stroke”.

In Lowry’s case, his ball had plugged in someone else’s pitch mark – a rare and unlucky break. And under the rules, that means no free relief.

Sometimes in golf, the bounce – or lack of – just doesn’t go your way.

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