Golf has a pretty thick rulebook, and there are instances where lesser-known rules have been used to conclude unusual on-course occurrences. One such incident happened at the 2022 Cazoo Open de France, involving Thomas Pieters. 

During his second round at Le Golf National, Pieters was disturbed by an onlooker on the third green. He was just about to putt when a man in the audience coughed. He wanted to stop the putter midway, but it was too late, and it hit the ball.

To correct the error, Pieters called in a rule official. But since the issue was so unusual, they had to call in another official. Ultimately, the second rule official decided that Pieters could putt the long birdie again without a penalty since he didn’t hit the ball intentionally.

Even the Sky Sports commentator, Mark Roe, was left startled. He said, "Never ever seen that before."

Well, many may not know that Rule 13.1.D was followed in Pieter's case. The rule applies when a ball moves on the putting green.

It states, "There is no penalty if the player, opponent, or another player in stroke play accidentally moves the player’s ball or ball-marker on the putting green."

However, the player must put the ball back to its original position. And if the previous location of the ball remains uncertain, it must be placed at an estimated spot. 

Nevertheless, Pieter was lucky to escape without a penalty, as every mistake in golf cannot go unpunished. 

Some Unintentional Mistakes Are Costly in Golf

At the 2026 American Express, Brian Harman made a mistake that cost him two penalty strokes. On the par-4 10th, he hit a ball that he believed to be his and landed it a few feet away from the hole. But soon, the officials determined that he (accidentally) hit an amateur’s ball. 

And under Rule 6.3c(1), he was penalized with two strokes. Had it been his ball, Harman would have scored a birdie. But now, he had to settle for a double bogey. His troubles continued on the 11th hole, and he signed a one-over 73. 

These contrasting rulings underline golf’s uncompromising balance between intent and accountability. While rare situations call for discretion, the rulebook ultimately ensures fairness, even when mistakes occur without intent.

But do you think accidental hits should be penalized?

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik