'Tough News' - Major Champion Reacts To Rules Penalty At The Players Championship

Keegan Bradley revealed the "tough news" he received for a two-shot penalty at The Players Championship after an incident on the green.

The 2011 PGA Champion marked his ball on the 16th green at TPC Sawgrass before a gust of wind moved it. He played his shot from where he originally marked it from instead of where it moved to, which was a breach of the Rules. His par five was amended to a double-bogey seven.

"Well, apparently the rule is - I thought as long as everyone in my group, and I guarantee most of the entire field thought the USGA changed the rule to simplify it, put your coin down, that's where your ball is," Bradley explained.

"So put my coin down, the ball moved, a huge gust of wind came up. I looked at the guys in my group and we all said, yep, the coin was down first, all good. Didn't think about it again until Gary came up and spoke to me on 2, and proud of the way I handled that because that was tough news, especially with some tough holes in front of me."

Rule 13.1.d (2) 'When to Replace Ball Moved by Natural Forces' states:

If natural forces cause a player’s ball on the putting green to move, where the player must play from next depends on whether the ball had already been lifted and replaced on its original spot:

• Ball Already Lifted and Replaced. The ball must be replaced on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated) (see Rule 14.2), even though it was moved by natural forces and not by the player, the opponent or an outside influence (see Rule 9.3, Exception).
• Ball Not Already Lifted and Replaced. The ball must be played from its new spot (see Rule 9.3).

Bradley carded a second round 71 to sit at one-under-par for two rounds in what was the 'wrong' late-early side of the draw where players faced the harshest of the conditions.

"This is probably my best round, one of my best rounds of my life, honestly," the American said. "This is as tough as golf as you're ever going to play. This is a course you want to play under no conditions because of how tough the shots are, and to play in this wind, to play like that, that was really, really a special round."

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