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Sunday, January 12, 2025

Leader denies ‘unreasonable’ free fall on 72nd hole after strange TIO rules row


Beau Hossler stands over the tee on the 18th hole at Sanderson Farms next to the rules officials

Beau Hossler was at the center of a strange rules debate over the 72nd hole on Sunday.

NBC

The goal is nine-tenths of the law.

And also, apparently, the rules of golf.

Beau Hossler I learned this lesson the hard way on Sunday Sanderson Farms Championship, when a rules official denied him a bogey on the 72nd hole while clinging to a share of the lead.

Our strange rules situation begins on the 18th hole, when Hossler – then tied for the lead at 23 under – blasted a drive on the 72nd hole, left of the fairway and in an unfortunate position: getting attached to the back of a tree trunk.

Normally, these situations in the golf world are close to drying up. Given his position, Hossler had no choice but to punch out from behind the trees and back onto the fairway, setting up a tricky (but doable) up-and-down from the fairway to extend the tournament.

But as Hossler approached his ball, he saw an opportunity to take advantage of the rules of golf. His ball was against a tree stump, yes, but in left of the tree trunk were Sanderson’s 18th bogeys, which could provide him with a golden opportunity at the golf world’s most contested spot: the TIO.

First, a quick refresher. Temporary Immovable Obstacles (or TIO) relief occurs when a stand or other structure used to stage a tournament obstructs the player’s line between his golf ball and the hole. Because these structures are seen as outside the normal challenges of the golf course, a local rule adopted by the PGA Tour allows players to take relief without “line of sight,” allowing a player a free fall no closer to the hole.

Given his compromised position, Hossler stood to take unusual advantage of such a decision, which could have allowed him to clear the ball from the tree stump and be in position to hit the green with the second shooting, not requiring such a tour-stretch up and down.

There was just one problem: Hossler’s case for TIO relief didn’t exist. His ball had stopped behind a tree stump leaving him No. angle other than to hole to reach the green. If he hit his shot on the other side of the tree trunk, to the left, he had no chance of hitting the green at all, and the stands—while impeding the progress of his ball—had no chance of obstructing the fairway.

Of course, that didn’t stop Hossler from trying to exercise his rights under the rules of golf. He called out two rules officials during a minutes-long exchange that was partially broadcast on the Golf Channel (the network was forced to drop mid-conversation for a commercial break).

“What if I told you I was aiming for the (left) tent?” Hossler was heard asking the rules official.

“What if the tree was 20 feet ahead?” He was heard asking again.

Almost immediately, it became clear that Hossler’s pursuit of help was in jeopardy. In his place behind the tree, his ball was in a compromised position – thus compromised, in fact, that any reasonable argument for TIO relief was deemed unnecessary. He would either hit on purpose IN the stand, or he would punch the street.

After a few minutes of banter, the two rules officials gave their final verdict: he would have to punch out.

“It’s not reasonable for you to play that way,” one of them told Hossler, pointing toward the stands.

Seconds later, that’s exactly what Hossler did – punching out to set up an up-and-down that pushed the tournament into a playoff. On the first playoff hole – ironically, also on the 18th hole after a FOLLOW TIO Debate – Hossler’s opponent, Kevin Yu, made a birdie putt to win the tournament.

Even after getting TIO relief the second time around, Hossler would go home Sunday night at Sanderson Farms as the runner-up.

But his efforts, at least in the eyes of the rules of golf, were few and far between.

James Colgan

James Colgan is a news and features editor at GOLF, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and leverages his on-camera experience across the brand’s platforms. Before joining GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddy (and smart) scholarship recipient on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.





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