On a brisk Sunday at the Players Championship, J.J. Spaun’s second shot on the 9th hole was anything but ideal. With the leaderboard tight, Spaun found himself just one stroke behind at 10 under par. His attempt at the par-5 sent the ball deep into the thick right rough, setting the stage for a dicey chip to the green. Surprisingly, however, it wasn’t long before he was taking his next shot from the fairway at TPC Sawgrass, a move that didn’t go unnoticed by keen-eyed spectators. So, how did Spaun pull off this magic trick?
The secret, shared by NBC Sports’ seasoned on-course reporter, Jim “Bones” Mackay, was all about cleverly navigating golf’s intricate rules regarding sprinkler heads. As NBC’s coverage picked back up on Spaun, Mackay enlightened viewers, detailing the curious turn of events that unfolded.
Spaun’s ball had ended up with a sprinkler head disrupting his stance, which invited the possibility for free relief from the artificial obstruction. According to golf’s rulebook, he was allowed to drop within a club length from the original spot, but not closer to the hole. Mackay explained that another sprinkler head just happened to lurk within this club-length zone. So, Spaun strategically dropped the ball on top of this second sprinkler, prompting yet another drop. This maneuver ultimately found Spaun with his ball now resting on the fairway.
“It was fascinating,” Mackay elaborated to the NBC team. “J.J. had found himself in a nearly unplayable position on a sprinkler. By using the rules to his advantage, he orchestrated a second drop that transformed a difficult lie into a fairway opportunity.”
What started in the gnarly greenside rough ended with Spaun’s ball snuggled right on the edge of the fairway, turning what would have been a challenging par-save into an unexpectedly easy birdie. Though his actions were completely by-the-book, several fans couldn’t help but comment on how the drops drastically altered the difficulty of Spaun’s third shot, making it far less complex.
Spaun’s birdie on the 9th hole had him leveling with Rory McIlroy, the day’s leader, as they awaited the conclusion of a rain delay. For those interested, you can view a clip of the scenario captured by Normal Sport’s Kyle Porter through the linked video below.
