DO YOU KNOW RULE 25-2 OF THE RULES OF GOLF?

By mustang6560 on 1/18/13

I am in no way a rules expert, however, I think it's important to know the Rules of Golf — whether or not you play by them is an entirely different topic of conversation. Learning the rules, in my opinion, is part of our responsibility to the game, and you never know when it will save you from incurring a costly two-stroke penalty — a la Tiger Woods.

In the second round of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, Tiger found himself in a viney-situation on the fifth hole at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. His ball embedded in a thicket of vines, and citing "Rule 25-2. Embedded Ball", he gave himself a free drop after conferring with Martin Kaymer.

The problem is, however, Rule 25-2 very specific. The rule grants players a free drop if their ball is embedded in the ground, and the viney-area where Tiger's ball embedded was actually a sandy area, so he was assessed a two-stroke penalty following his round. The penalty bumped his 73 to a 75, which left him outside of the cut line and sent him packing.

If you weren't familiar with Rule 25-2 prior to Tiger's penalty, then commit it to memory. I don't want to hear about any oobers incurring a two-stroke penalty for incorrectly taking relief from an embedded lie!

25-2. Embedded Ball

A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. "Closely mown area" means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.

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Image via Flickr, chebbs