Unusual Bunker Rule at the Sanderson Farms Championship

In the world of golf, unusual situations regarding rules are not uncommon. At the Sanderson Farms Championship, spectators witnessed one such instance in real time. On the par-4 15th hole at the Country Club of Jackson, tournament players Garrick Higgo and Eric Cole found themselves in the front right bunker near the green. As they approached to take their second shots, it turned out their balls were resting close to each other in the sand, prompting the need for a ruling from the official on site.

According to the broadcast information, Higgo played first from the tee. His ball left a mark in the bunker before coming to rest. Cole then hit his shot into the same area, following Higgo's track and displacing his ball into a deeper lie before stopping nearby.

The official indicated that Higgo should play first, allowing Cole to mark his ball with a tee and move it one club length away to prevent interference with Higgo’s shot. Since Higgo's ball was moved by Cole's shot, after marking, Cole allowed Higgo to replace his ball as close to the original spot as possible — effectively where Cole’s ball had come to rest. After Higgo played his shot, the bunker could be raked, Cole could replace his ball, and then he could take his second shot. Neither player incurred a penalty.

Later, Higgo remarked on having experienced a contrasting situation in a bunker on the 15th hole previously. At Sea Island a couple of years ago, he played with Brian Gay on the 18th hole, where his ball landed in a bunker and he hit from the existing mark. It was the opposite situation, and he had to play from there. In this case, since he hit first, he was entitled to the position he had.

This ruling didn’t disrupt Higgo’s play. He hit from the bunker to five feet and converted the putt for birdie. Cole followed with his shot from the bunker to twelve feet but missed the birdie putt, settling for par. Higgo currently leads the tournament by two strokes heading into the final round.