The question of caddy understanding rules opens up a 'dead zone' relief for the Tour pro

Austin Kaiser was hit by a tree.

He was killed by a stone.

He then asked a question that helped leave his person unharmed.

“Isn't this our way?”

The PGA Tour ShotLink tower and its cables were the tour's official take on Thursday. And what followed was a near-miracle relief for Xander Schauffele at Quail Hollow Club, which he rode to the lead after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

“Maybe that's the break that makes the difference this week,” said commentator Frank Nobilo on the Golf Channel.

The sequence began after Schauffele went right with his tee shot on the 356-yard par-4 8th hole, and after a search, the ball was found a few feet to the left of the chain-link fence, near the main tee. stones and under thick trees, all were in the penalty area with a red sign. Questions followed.

Can Schauffele get penalty-stroke relief there? He can, although it may be too far back. But couldn't he also try to convert? He can try. Some work was needed. On the way there were rocks, and Schauffele called Kaiser, his friend, who worked into the area of ​​the tree and moved them under the rules, although he was not hurt by the trees (“Ow, ow,” he shouted) and the rock (“That sure f *** ing pain,” he said. ).

The player and caddy come out of the trees. They wondered about the gun, which would require a punch-out. But Kaiser saw the ShotLink tower, which under the rules is considered a temporary immovable obstacle (TIO), and asked his question to official Dave Donnelly, although that raised another question.

Can you get TIO relief from a penal settlement?

You can, according to the USGA's online definition of TIOs, though only if the TIO is in the light between the ball and the hole, and reasonable play on the ball can be made. Was the tower or tower cables in the way? Can Schauffele hit a shot toward the hole? Schauffele, Kaiser and Donnelly return to the trees. They talked.

Relief was granted.

Official Mark Dusbabek said on the Golf Channel: “You can see the camera tower right there. It's one of our ShotLink camera towers, and there's a cable coming down from that. So the determination that Dave just made is that Xander – can Xander get to that camera tower through the trees over there? And Dave made a decision he couldn't. So you will get relief from that. It will be a free help, even though he is in the penalty area. He has to stay in that place of punishment to be fully free.”

Significantly, the relief took Schauffele from the area near the fence and under the trees, to the yard away from the fence and free from the tree cover. From there, he pushed forward, two-over four, and signed for a seven-under 64, good for a three-stroke advantage going into Friday.

“It's a good break for him here,” Dusbabek told the Golf Channel. “Everything is within the rules. That's why our officers on site can help him with that so he doesn't make a mistake. You know he can ask those questions and you can help him and give him the best possible answer.”

How did Schauffele see it?

He said he knew he was lucky.

“When we got there,” he said on the Golf Channel, “it was really dead, and I started touching the two rocks next to me, and I was like, OK, Austin, OK, I can move them; they are not embedded. I mean, they were big rocks. I don't know if the camera caught Austin trying to move one of them, but there were maggots and all kinds of nasty things in it. So we moved two stones, and of course, drilling well back was impossible because the wire was the same [gestured] this is far from my ball so the only improvement, as the two stones are moved, is actually hitting towards the green.

“So I brought up the official rules, and I was like, this is true, I either go back to teeni or I try to move it forward, and if I force it to pass, the worst thing is that it gets stuck there again. I can just punch it out and take it out again and grind it a fifth time. But he was like – I mean, the fence was completely in the way, the tower was in the most fortunate place possible, so I could take the equal side of the tower, I went to the left, the length of the club got me on the edge. pine straw, hit what I thought was an incredible pitch to hit the top of the green and it was a no-sweat two-putt. … It was very fortunate, one, that they found it, and, two, to find that kind of rest in a completely dead place.”

How did the crew at the Golf Channel spot it?

They also commented on Kaiser's question.

Broadcaster Terry Gannon said: “He's got a good caddy, too. I think it was Austin who first picked up that tower on the way.”

Commentator Curt Byrum said: “I think he's right.”

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for planning, writing and promoting news on the golf course. And when he's not writing about how to hit the golf ball forward and straight, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash down his scores. You can contact him about any of these topics – his news, his game or his beer – at [email protected].