It’s easy to get hooked on golf but this is ridiculous: a fish eats a golf ball. That’s a new one even for a well-travelled rules watcher. But it is what happened to Charl Schwartzel during the final round of LIV Golf Bedminster, in New Jersey.
As the South African’s tee shot at the par-3 7th rolled back off the green and into the pond, it seemed to be gobbled up by a fish lurking in the reeds.
Great for the highlight reels and headline writers all over the globe had a field day, but let’s leave the joviality to them. This is (ahem) a serious rules column and there is a question to be asked: What on earth do you do if this happens to you?
While something from the deep swooping in like Jaws to grab your ball might be very rare, animals taking an interest in your tee shot are not. So what happens in this case, and why?
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What do the Rules of Golf say if a fish eats your golf ball?
The ball goes into the pond and, at least to my eye, is at rest. So when the fish gobbles it up, it is known or virtually certain to have been moved by an outside influence.
There’s no penalty. You replace the ball on its original spot, and estimate if you don’t know exactly where that is. But that spot would be in the penalty area.
This is all detailed in Rule 9.6, which says this applies “whether or not the player’s ball has been found”.
And, though Rule 14.2a, says the original ball must be used when replacing, it does say another can be used if “the original ball cannot be recovered with reasonable effort and in a few seconds, so long as the player did not deliberately cause the ball to become unrecoverable”.
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So, don’t worry. You won’t have to cast a fishing line to try and lure in this lake monster for another bite.
I read reports saying Charl Schwartzel was “forced” to take a one-shot penalty. But I’m not sure he was.
The water looks reasonably deep, even from the edge, and rather than wade in and replace a ball, Schwartzel more likely opted to take penalty area relief, which does come with a one-stroke sanction.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
What do you make of this rule with Charl Schwartzel? Would you have tried to play the ball from the penalty area? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
