Anyone get the ruling on Calcavechia's drop at 15 at the Honda?

Question

He hit from a hazard (the bunker) into another hazard (past the line into the rocks). From my interpretation of the rules he has to drop in the bunker and hit four from there. Then he picked up his ball which was still in play (albeit in a hazard) and tosses it into the lake. They cut to commercial, show some other players and come back to him - his ball in on the green and he is putting for a bogey??? Ok so maybe it was a lateral hazard and he got two club lengths no closer to the hole which put him on the green, but why not drop back in the bunker. Are you allowed to change balls when dropping out of a hazard if it is not damaged? No explanation on TV at all.

Answer 1

It probably wasnt explained because it was a simple situation.  He dropped within 2 club lengths of where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard.  He was fortunate that this was an option, because normally it would be tough to take that drop without getting closer to the hole.  So taking stroke and distance would not make sense.  Why replay the bunker shot instead of dropping on the green.  Also, you cant take "unplayable lie" in a water hazard.

Answer 2

Once the ball went into the lateral hazard, it then becomes out of play ... unless you want to play it from there. If a ball is out of play, you can change it - just like the pro's normally do every two or three holes. With the lateral hazard, he was going to take the more beneficial of the three choices and so dropped in within two club lengths.

Answer 3

I agree that the lack of an explanation on TV was confusing.

When your ball is in a water hazard, you can replace it with another ball, even if you recover the first ball. So, there is no penatly for flinging the ball into the water.

I would assume it's a lateral hazard, so the has the option of dropping two club lengths from where it last crossed the hazard. Nothing in the rules prevents him from dropping on the green.

Obviously, if you are allowed to drop on the green (or even the fringe), you won't drop back in the bunker. Why would you take a chance of doing the same thing again.

I honestly don't know why he didn't try to play it off the rocks. Not a big deal if he scratches a club at that point.

And the ball was not "unplayable". You can't declare a ball unplayable when it's in a water hazard. (Rule 28)

Answer 4

He could have declared the result his bunker shot unplayable, dropped in the bunker, with a stroke penalty, and replayed the bunker shot.

Answer 5

The ball was unplayable and he got 2 club lengths relief, no closer to the hole from where the ball entered the hazard and a 1 stroke penalty.