Jordan Spieth’s fire decision could have an impact
Jordan Spieth has a knack for getting himself into incredible trouble. Sure, he’s on TV a lot, so golf fans tend to see his wild, ugly and sometimes life-threatening lies, but even so, this guy seems to be a magnet for dirt.
The latest story: the par-4 12th hole at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course, where, in the second round of the Valero Texas Open on Friday, Spieth blocked his shot on the right side of the fairway. When Spieth and his friend, Michael Greller, arrived at the woods – this was on Spieth’s third hole of the day – they found Spieth’s golf ball pinned next to an unsightly hazard. . . all that release. It could be a big rock or a small rock, and it took the strength of both men to move it.
“I want to try to do it together [the count of] three?” Spieth said to Greller.
The scene recalled Tiger Woods’ famous (infamous?) episode at the 1999 Phoenix Open. That’s when Woods, in the fourth round, left a shot a few feet from a thigh-high stone. After the officials confirmed that the rock was not anchored to the desert floor beneath it, Woods and his coach, Fluff McCowan, recruited less than a dozen followers to help remove the obstacle from Woods’ flight path.
Spieth and Greller moved their hurdles more willingly, shifting the rock a few inches to free up Spieth’s ball.
“When you’re Michael Greller, when you wake up, you don’t know what to expect,” the commentator joked.
But Spieth wasn’t done changing his rules wisely.
After he and Greller moved the rock, they found Spieth’s ball in the fire ant area, meaning he could seek relief under Rule 16.2: Dangerous Animal Condition. According to this rule, such a situation “occurs when a dangerous animal (such as poisonous snakes, stinging bees, crocodiles, shooting ants or bears) near the ball can seriously injure the player if he has to play the ball lying down.” Rules mavens may remember Bryson DeChambeau who sought – and was denied – this same approach to freedom at the 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
However, Spieth was given a decision in his favor. When the officiating official quickly acknowledged that the fire ants were in play, Spieth took a club-length break, leaving himself in a much more controlled position than he had been moments earlier.
A spokesperson for the PGA Tour confirmed the sequence of events, saying in a statement: “There was a large rock near the ball and since it was not firmly fixed and could easily move, it was considered a loose obstacle by definition and was allowed to move. In addition, there were fire ants in that area, so he was given relief (Rule 16.2).
As Spieth got the relief, the radio commentator said, “This could be a big break.”
One commenter responded, “I’d say 90 percent of the forum would just take it as unplayable – even the thought of doing something like this.”
Spieth hadn’t seen much of the green, though. From his new lie, he returned safely to the fairway and made a bogey 5.
Still, Spieth’s rules likely saved him at least a shot — and a shot that could prove crucial. Spieth posted a one-under 71 Friday and, as we write this, sits on the bottom line of the cut, to play for the weekend.
