[Golf Rules... Knowledge Is Power] If a Spectator Picks Up a Golfer's Ball

Haeran Ryu incident on the final day of the BMW Ladies Championship

Tee shot veers left into rough; spectator mistakenly picks up her ball

Play can resume without penalty after replacing the ball at its original spot

Golf has no referees. It is a “gentleman’s sport” in which golfers play by the rules themselves. The rules of golf are there to help players. Knowing them well and using them appropriately can also go a long way toward managing your score. Here are the golf rules every weekend golfer should know.

An incident involving a golf ball occurred at the BMW Ladies Championship, the only LPGA Tour event held in Korea, with a total purse of $2.35 million. It happened during the fourth round on the 18th hole, a par 4, at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam County, Jeonnam, on Oct. 25.

Yonhap News Agency

At the time, Haeran Ryu was tied for the lead with Japan’s Yuli Yoshida. On the 18th hole, Ryu’s tee shot hooked left and landed in rough on a steep slope. Although the lie made her second shot difficult, she was still in a position to go for the green. As Ryu walked from the tee toward the rough, a spectator picked up her ball and put it back down.

Under the R&A Rules of Golf, spectators are outside influences, since they are neither players nor caddies. If a spectator accidentally picks up a player’s ball or moves it, the player may replace it on its original spot and continue play without penalty.

Ryu hit her second shot on the 18th into a bunker and ultimately made a bogey, reaching the green in three strokes and taking two putts to finish the hole. She ended the tournament tied for second, one stroke behind Yoshida. After winning two majors in succession—the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June and the Amundi Evian Championship in July—Ryu had aimed for her third win of the season in Haenam, near her hometown of Yeongam, but fell short.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.