The PGA Tour has implemented several competition updates ahead of next week’s season opener, the Sony Open in Hawaii.
The changes, which were included in a memo recently sent to players and caddies and obtained by Golf Channel, include reducing the relief area for preferred lies; adjusting five local rules, including extending embedded-ball relief to include other players’ pitch marks and softening the penalty for unknowingly playing from the wrong place; and allowing distance-measuring devices for all tours except the PGA Tour.
Here is a breakdown:
Preferred lies modification: The relief area for placing a ball when using preferred lies has been reduced from a club-length to scorecard length.
Extending embedded-ball relief: Players will now receive embedded-ball relief when their ball finds any unrepaired pitch mark in an area cut to fairway height or less. Previously, players were only granted such relief if it was their own pitch mark.
Penalty reduction when a player is unaware his ball might have moved: Previously, players were penalized two strokes when they caused their ball to move, knowingly or unknowingly, and then played their next shot without replacing the ball. Now, if a player plays a shot from the wrong place and was unaware, the penalty will be just one stroke.
Obstructions close to putting greens modification: Players are typically given line-of-play relief from immovable obstructions when two club-lengths off the putting surface, and this will now include holes or ground under repair caused by the removal of such objects, so long as the ball and condition are in an area cut to fairway height or less.
Internal out of bounds from teeing area only: This is a new option given to rules committees, where all strokes played from teeing area that find internal out of bounds will be considered out of play but all other strokes will not.
Repairing broken or significantly damaged club: Players may now replace broken or significantly damaged equipment with components carried on course. For example, if a clubface cracks, a player can immediately replace with a backup head carried in their bag, or carried by another person or player.
Distance-measuring devices not allowed on the PGA Tour: They will be, however, allowed on the PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas, though the slope function and other non-traditional features must be turned off. The PGA Tour experimented by allowing rangefinders last spring at the RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic. Presumably, they will still be allowed at the PGA Championship.