NBC Golf
Harris English wasn’t sure about his score on Saturday’s par-4 second hole of the Charles Schwab Challenge until seven holes later.
Because English was playing the ninth hole at the Colonial Country Club, PGA Tour rules officials alerted him that, upon further review, he would not be assessed a penalty after his ball had moved to No. 2.
Strange Rules for the English, who started the day alone second at nine under, three behind Harry Hole, started the game as he poised to putt a birdie putt from the second green.
His ball was only 17 feet from the hole but it came to rest against the first rough, on the edge of the marginal cut.
Soon after his speech to the ball, he walked out of his stance, bewildered.
“My ball rolls that way,” said English, pointing in the direction of the hole.
Depending on what happened next, the English phrasing is key here as he said the ball “continues” to roll, as the ball was already in motion before he rolled back.
Quickly, his caddy, Eric Larson, and his playing partner, Hall, came over to try to make sense of what had just happened.
“Did the ball move right away?” asked Hall English.
“It used to go like that, yeah,” said English.
Since English were in the “general area” and not on the green, Hall reminded him, if he thought he had caused the ball to move he would have to substitute the ball for a one-stroke penalty. If he fails to do so, it will be a two-stroke penalty.
It didn’t take long for Dave Donnelly in charge of the tour’s rules to arrive on the scene and ask English to recount the situation.
“I’ve been practicing hitting here, and I’m kind of looking at the ball a little bit, and (inaudible) aimed that way,” said English.
“When the ball moved, was the club there or was it behind the ball?” Donnelly asked.
“When the ball first moved in, it was here,” said English, placing the head of his club beside the ball, as if he was practicing strokes.
This is when Hall and his bearer started to look visibly upset. Hall’s chest quickly looked over after English claimed to have seen the ball move before addressing it. This is important because if the Englishman has not yet handled the ball and it has started to move, or is already moving when he handles it, there will be no penalty and he will play the ball as it is.
“I was just like that and doing a chore,” said English. “I could see him out of the corner of my eye a little bit and I got over it and he just keeps doing that.”
“What you showed me over there,” said Donnelly. “That can’t cause the ball to fall that way when you’re far enough from it. With that not causing it to move and you not doing anything else to make it move, the ball is in play where it is.”
When he finally threw, Harris let his birdie try short but was able to convert a three footer to par. But Hall apparently disagreed with the ruling and went straight to Donnelly to continue arguing it while Harris upped the ante on his situation.
Another Tour official, Marc Dusbec, explained the Golf Channel broadcast ruling.
He said, “There was insufficient evidence to prove that Harris caused the ball to move.” “So, if you don’t have that virtual certainty, it’s going to be moved by natural forces and you’re playing it from its new position.”
Although the matter appeared to be settled, the broadcast never showed any angle showing that the ball had moved. before Taken up by English. When English and Hall, who were the last pair of the day, were on the sixth hole and after the coverage switched to CBS, Jim Nantz told viewers that the round would review the referee’s video in English at the conclusion of the round.
At that point the English were running through the water, one in the round and four in the back of the hall.
“I think the best way to deal with this is to treat it like he’s going to get a penalty,” analyst Trevor Immelman said. “If he doesn’t, that’s a bonus.”
“Luckily it’s Saturday and not the final round,” Frank Nobilo of the booth added.
But the English did not have to wait long. Three holes later, Nantz stated that English had been cleared of any possible penalty. The Englishman birdied the ensuing 10th hole, climbing to a share of the lead at 10-under.
He continued to hold a share of the lead for most of the round until bogey at 18 brought him back to 9-under and exited the final pairing. The win with a two-over 72 was good enough for Hall to stay in the lead at 10-under with Adam Schenk joining him for the final set on Sunday.