re: Sam is done USGA just screwed him in the fairway and about to go 2 down

quote:

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I am. And I believe it is bad ruling. Terrible in fact.

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You were there? You were able to get up on his ball and see like the two actual rules officials?

Or were you just like the rest of us and only see what was on tv where you couldn't tell at all whether it was a good ruling or not?

I'm assuming you were watching on tv like the rest of us and in no way can say it was a terrible ruling.

No but it probably cost him about 1 million dollars.

Duffnshank, here’s the definition or Temporary Water (copied directly from the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf):

Any temporary accumulation of water on the surface of the ground (such as puddles from rain or irrigation or an overflow from a body of water) that:
Is not in a penalty area, and
Can be seen before or after the player takes a stance (without pressing down excessively with their feet).
It is not enough for the ground to be merely wet, muddy or soft or for the water to be momentarily visible as the player steps on the ground; an accumulation of water must remain present either before or after the stance is taken. (end of definition)

Commentary - Water must be present before taking the stance (it wasn’t with Sam), or present after the stance is completely taken (both rules officials say it wasn’t). It doesn’t matter if water is momentarily visible while a player is in the process of taking the stance or walking near the ball.

Your comments and others are not unexpected; this is a generally misunderstood rule.