It isn't very rare that incidents happen on the golf course that are out of the players' control. While Golf’s rule book is built on a simple idea: you play the course as you find it it also considers this scenario a d accepts it as well. When something external interferes with a golf ball at rest, a different principle applies, and it decided how Hideki Matsuyama handled an unusual moment at the 2025 Hero World Challenge on the 16th hole.

The Rule in question was Rule 9.6, which addresses cases where a ball at rest is moved by an outside influence. It states: “If it is known or virtually certain that an outside influence (including another player in stroke play or another ball) lifted or moved a player’s ball at rest: There is no penalty, and the ball must be replaced on its original spot (which, if not known, must be estimated).”

That language became relevant on the par-4 16th at Albany during the second round. Matsuyama sent his tee shot into the native sandy area. When he reached his ball, the lie did not match what the cameras had shown seconds earlier. The ball was now embedded in the sand, with only the top of the ball visible and tire tracks pressed through the spot where it had come to rest.

TV footage confirmed what the scene suggested: a golf cart had driven over the ball after it stopped. During the broadcast, Smylie Kaufman joked that “I think my buddies back home would have said play it as it lies.” The Rules, however, did not require that.

Because the lie was changed by an outside influence, Matsuyama was allowed to replace his ball without penalty. Under Rule 9.6, the procedure requires the player to estimate the original spot and return the ball to that position. The principle protects the player from random interference by people, animals, or equipment.

That separation is important. Earlier in the week, Rory McIlroy found his ball under a banana peel at the Australian Open. In his case, moving the ball would have created a penalty, so he played it from that position. Matsuyama’s situation was different because the ball’s condition changed after it came to rest.

Once the ruling was confirmed, Matsuyama replaced the ball and played the hole, making par. He signed for a six-under-par 66, placing him in a share of the lead at 10-under alongside Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, JJ Spaun, and Akshay Bhatia with two rounds remaining.

After the round, Matsuyama sounded settled about his game and the position he is in. He said he has been working on all parts of his game and is “looking forward to play well next two days.”

Matsuyama won the event in 2016 and opened this season with victory at The Sentry in January. A win in the Bahamas would close his year on the same note it began, with a trophy. Meanwhile, defending champion Scottie Scheffler sits one shot behind, seeking a third consecutive title at Tiger Woods’ invitational.

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu