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difficult or impossible to drop the ball (e.g., inside a
locked building or beneath a rain shelter that is raised
off the ground).”
With the assistance of the Rules Official, Jordan
determined where he would have dropped a ball had
the trucks not been located on the line extending back
from the hole and his unplayable ball. Deeming his
ball to be lying at that point on the course, Jordan was
then permitted, by the Local Rule giving relief without
penalty for temporary immovable obstructions (TIO’s),
to drop away from the complex of trucks that were
intervening on his line of play.
• According to the Local Rule for TIO’s, interference
by a TIO occurs, in part, when the ball lies in, on,
under or behind the TIO so that any part of the
TIO intervenes directly between the player’s ball and
the hole and the TIO is on the player’s line of play.
Interference also exists if the ball lies within one club-
length of a spot equidistant from the hole where such
intervention would exist.
Therefore, in order to correctly take relief from the
TIO, Jordan had to visualize where he would have
dropped a ball when taking relief for the unplayable ball.
Then, and with the guidance of two Rules Officials, he
had to identify the point that was equidistant from the
hole and also avoided interference, as defined, by the
TIO. He was then required to drop within one club-
length of that point.
• Having dropped his ball on the practice area in
accordance with the Local Rule for TIO relief, Jordan
sent his caddie up to the top of the dune to help him
line up for the forthcoming stroke towards the green.
However, before playing the stroke from the practice
area, Jordan directed his caddie to move well away
from his line of play. Had Jordan not directed his
caddie to move out of the way, he would have incurred
a two-stroke penalty under Rule 8-2a [Indicating Line
of Play Other Than on Putting Green]. That Rule
states, “Except on the putting green, a player may have
the line of play indicated by anyone, but no one may
be positioned by the player for that purpose on or close
to the line or an extension of that line beyond the hole
while the stroke is being made.”
Rules ... made to be
BROKEN.
Except in golf.
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