MajorsBrian KeoghShane Lowry, Rules of Golf, The OpenComment

“The naked eye test is satisfied whether or not the player was looking at the ball when it moved” - R&A explains Lowry penalty

MajorsBrian KeoghShane Lowry, Rules of Golf, The OpenComment
“The naked eye test is satisfied whether or not the player was looking at the ball when it moved” - R&A explains Lowry penalty
Shane Lowry's ball in the rough at the 12th

Shane Lowry's ball in the rough at the 12th

The R&A issued a statement on Shane Lowry’s two-shot penalty at The Open and explained that he did not have to be looking at the ball to avoid sanction.

Lowry’s ball moved when he took a practice swing at the 12th as he prepared to play his second shot and so incurred a two-stroke penalty under Rule 9.4 — Ball Played as It Lies; Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved.

“During Round Two, Shane Lowry’s ball was seen to have moved while he was taking a practice swing for his second shot from the rough at the 12th hole,” the R&A said.  

“The Rules require three things to be assessed in such situations: 1 Did the ball leave its original position and come to rest on another spot?  

“2. Was the ball’s movement to another spot discernible to the naked eye? And 3, If the ball did come to rest on another spot and the movement was discernible to the naked eye, is it known or virtually certain that the player’s actions caused the ball to. move?

“Assessing whether the movement of the ball was visible to the naked eye in such a situation assumes the player being in a normal address position for the stroke.

“In Shane Lowry’s situation, the movement of the ball to another spot, including the movement of the logo, was discernible to the naked eye. The naked eye test is satisfied whether or not the player was looking at the ball when it moved.

“It was clear that the ball moved immediately after the player’s club touched foliage close to the. ball during a practice swing and that the player’s actions caused the ball to move.

“In these circumstances there is a one stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced. However, as the ball was played from the spot where it was moved to, the player played from a wrong place and incurs a total penalty of two strokes.”