The Loop
PGA Championship 2018: Tyrrell Hatton's tee ball ended up in a cart amongst a bunch of water bottles
Andy Lyons
ST. LOUIS — Today in bizarre rulings, we present Tyrrell Hatton and the cart full of water bottles.
On the fifth hole during Saturday's third round at the PGA Championship, Hatton hit his tee ball left—pretty far left. People started yelling fore, and the expected scene unfolded of crouching bodies and silent prayers that you're not about to take a PGA Tour player's tee ball straight to the head.
Buddies John Reali and Mike Schroer were among those spectators seeking cover as Hatton's ball approached. They turned out to be safe. A woman driving a cart full of water bottles, however, was a lot closer to danger.
"She's lucky she ducked," Reali said. "It probably missed her by a foot."
Safe from the tee ball, she was about to drive away and deliver the waters to their final destination. But fans yelled at her to stop: Turns out Hatton's ball had come to rest in the bed of her cart, among all the water bottles. (Here's where I could put in a cheap water-hazard joke, but I'm going to refrain.)
Hatton took advantage of his ability to take a free drop from the cart (Rule 24, immovable obstruction). Twice, the dropped ball rolled off the cart path, closer to the hole. So, it had to be placed.
"He hit it right off the middle of the cart path," said Schroer.
Hatton had the choice to play it off the path, or take relief again, this time from the cart path. Hatton hit a clean shot off the path, and ended up with a bogey.