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Watch This PGA Tour Player Get a Shocking Free Drop at Sony Open's 72nd Hole

Fans weren’t pleased with this ruling given to Carl Yuan at the Sony Open.

Gabrielle Herzig

Watch This PGA Tour Player Get a Shocking Free Drop at Sony Open's 72nd Hole
Watch This PGA Tour Player Get a Shocking Free Drop at Sony Open's 72nd Hole /

Carl Yuan was chasing solo possession of the clubhouse lead at the Sony Open when he received a ruling that even Golf Channel’s announcers couldn’t fathom. 

Stepping onto the 18th tee box at Waialae Country Club, Yuan was tied with Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, Ben An and Grayson Murray at 16 under par for the tournament. Seven pairings ahead of the final group, Yuan had the opportunity to make a move and give his competitors a number to shoot for.

Here’s where things get messy: Yuan’s tee shot on the 550-yard par-5 found the left fairway bunker. Then, from the sand, Yuan hit a hybrid to attempt to get as close to the green as possible. But instead Yuan’s ball flew to the right, directly toward grandstands. 

It was unclear exactly where the shot came to rest. Golf Channel’s cameras traced the shot as it flew directly toward the roof of the hospitality area. Then it appeared as if Yuan, his caddie and several other individuals were searching for the ball once they approached where it might have landed. 

“It seemed like for a while, they were having trouble finding the ball,” Dan Hicks said from the booth. “I think that’s the question mark. There was a search party beyond the stands which tells me that it cleared the stands and never hit the top of the stands.”

If Yuan’s ball had indeed flown over the grandstands, there would have been a strong possibility he could have ended up out of bounds or with a lost ball—two scenarios that would have been rather costly. (Yuan would have received a penalty stroke, in addition to having to replay his shot from the bunker.)

But a few moments later, the broadcast cut back to Yuan as he was taking a free drop from the right side of the fairway, two clublengths away from the grandstands. The ruling set up a clear third shot into the par-5, giving Yuan a solid chance at birdie.

Even though Yuan could not locate his ball, it turned out that PGA Tour rules officials deemed with “virtual certainty” that the shot was “lost” in the hospitality area. The rule in question in this scenario is called "TIO relief" (temporary immovable obstruction). Grandstands are considered TIO, as they are “not considered to be part of the challenge of playing the course.”

Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis explained the ruling: “After looking at video evidence, they determined with ‘virtual certainty’ that the ball went into that hospitality area, the temporary immovable obstruction, and also had some testimony from folks in those hospitality suites. So it was determined that the ball was lost in those tents, and that’s why he was able to get that relief without penalty.” 

Based on Lewis’s reporting, it seems as though a handful of trusty spectators might have saved Yuan’s hole. 

Eventually, Yuan went on to pitch onto the green and two-putt for par to remain at 16 under par. Bradley, Murray and An all finished at 17 under for the tournament, passing Yuan on the leaderboard, but the case of the murky TIO relief didn’t end there. 

Fans were understandably baffled by the ruling, which very easily could have determined the outcome of the tournament. Despite it being in accordance with the Rules of Golf, the decision caused quite the stir on social media. 

And, to add yet another layer to the mind-boggling story, get this: Yuan wouldn’t have even qualified for the Sony Open had Jon Rahm not defected to LIV Golf. Yuan moved from No. 126 to No. 125 when Rahm left the PGA Tour, allowing Yuan to maintain full membership. 

Here are some of the best reactions to Yuan’s free drop at the Sony Open, which was ultimately won by Murray after a three-man playoff. 

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Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

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