'It was fascinating': J.J. Spaun receives advantageous drop during Players final round

If J.J. Spaun goes on to win The Players, he’ll have the Rules of Golf to thank.

Spaun was leaking oil with two bogeys and no birdies in his first eight holes of Sunday’s final round at TPC Sawgrass. He had just lost his lead, too, when he teed off on the par-5 ninth hole. After finding the fairway, Spaun’s second shot traveled 240 yards, missing in the right rough. Though Spaun had just 45 yards to the hole, his lie was brutal.

Rules to the rescue.

Upon taking his stance, Spaun noticed that he was standing on a sprinkler head. He took relief from that, only to find that his drop area included another sprinkler. So, he dropped and received relief from that, too. Spaun’s next drop was in the fairway.

Here's how NBC on-course reporter Bones Mackay described the series of events: “It was fascinating. J.J. got up there and his ball was in a horrible lie. He was standing on a sprinkler, but still nowhere near the fairway, so he took relief and within that club length was another sprinkler. He intentionally dropped it in the sprinkler, got a second club length away from that and got himself into the fairway.”

According to Rule 16.1a of the Rules of Golf, interference exists and relief is allowed if “your ball touches or is in or on an abnormal course condition” or “an abnormal course condition physically interferes with your area of intended stance or area of intended swing.”

Spaun then pitched to 7 feet and rolled in the birdie putt to re-tie Rory McIlroy for the lead at 11 under.

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