When people talk about shooting from the hip, I’m not quite sure this is what they mean. Hideki Matsyama’s drive, from the 10th hole at Liberty National in the second round of the 2021 Northern Trust, went right, bounced a couple of times on a path, between the legs of a spectator, and up into his shirt.
Incredibly, it stayed there and Matsuyama, unsurprisingly, needed a rules official to sort it all out.
Obviously, he’s not playing the ball as it lies – it’s not Happy Gilmore – but how did he get relief and how would you use the rule in, well, less extreme circumstances?
Let’s take a look…
Golf ball hits person: Here’s what happens when your ball strikes someone
While you’ll probably never have to extricate your ball from someone’s clothing, it’s far more likely a shot you hit might strike someone or something. (Remember to always shout ‘fore’!)
Rule 11.1 covers when a ball in motion accidentally hits a person or an outside influence.
There is no penalty, and that’s the case even if the ball hits the player themselves, an opponent or any other player, their caddies or their equipment.
